


『ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ #7: ᴋɪꜱᴇᴋɪ』

by Arthuria_PenDragon



Series: ❦ 𝕂𝕟𝕊: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 ❦ [8]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Abuse, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Akashi being Akashi (Kuroko no Basuke), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bad Teaching, Basketball, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Chatting & Messaging, Child Neglect, Codependency, Confidental Files, Dark, Dark Past, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dopping, During Canon, Dysfunctional Family, Everyone Has Issues, Families of Choice, Fear, Fear of Discovery, Flashbacks, Foul Language, Found Family, Gen, GoM Need a Hug, GoM Whump, GoM are NOT okay, GoM as a Family, Haemophobia, Headcanon, Hints of humor, Human Experimentation, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kise Ryouta Has ADHD, Mad Scientists, Mental Health Issues, Mentor & Protégé, Mother Hen Akashi Seijuurou, Murder, My own dark imagination and interpretation of Teikou days, Neglect, Nightmares, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Non-Linear Narrative, Not Canon Compliant, Oaths & Vows, Out of Character, Overprotective Generation of Miracles, POV Akashi Seijuurou, POV Alternating, POV Aomine Daiki, POV Imayoshi Shouichi, POV Kasamatsu Yukio, POV Kazunari Takao, POV Kise Ryouta, POV Kiyoshi Teppei, POV Kuroko Tetsuya, POV Mibuchi Reo, POV Midorima Shintarou, POV Momoi Satsuki, POV Murasakibara Atsushi, POV Third Person Limited, Perfectionism, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Winter Cup, Protective Generation of Miracles, Rated For Violence, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Secrets, Slow Build, Someone help these kids, Sorry Not Sorry, Team as Family, Teiko Middle School's A+ Teaching, Teikou Era, Teikou messed up their students a Lot, Teikou's A+ Coaching, Teikou's A+ Teaching, Tension, The GoM have Issues, The Oath, Timeline What Timeline, Training Camp, Trust Issues, What Canon?, What Have I Done, Whump, Why Did I Write This?, Winners Mentality, Wordcount: Over 100.000, You might want to bring Tissues, blood oath, like snail pace slow, pretending to hate each other, why isn’t that a tag?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:14:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 111,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28169082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arthuria_PenDragon/pseuds/Arthuria_PenDragon
Summary: 『ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ #7: ᴋɪꜱᴇᴋɪ』|=|=ꜰɪʟᴇ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ... ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴡᴀɪᴛ...AKA, The Teikō batch tries to deal with their problems alone, yet together... Even while seperated. Neither of them expect the twist to appear out of the blue, dragging their current, blessedly-clueless teams intotheirlives...But said twist comes anyway and the horrifying truth of Teikō is revealed...Rated E for Violence/Blood/Murder
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou & Generation of Miracles, Akashi Seijuurou & Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki & Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki & Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles, Aomine Daiki & Kuroko Tetsuya & Momoi Satsuki, Generation of Miracles & Generation of Miracles, Generation of Miracles & Kise Ryouta, Generation of Miracles & Kuroko Tetsuya, Generation of Miracles & Midorima Shintarou, Generation of Miracles & Momoi Satsuki, Generation of Miracles & Murasakibara Atsushi, Generation of Miracles & Nijimura Shuuzou, Kise Ryouta & Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles, Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles & Kuroko Tetsuya, Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles & Midorima Shintarou, Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles & Momoi Satsuki, Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles & Murasakibara Atsushi, Kiseki no Sedai | Generation of Miracles & Nijimura Shuuzou, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: ❦ 𝕂𝕟𝕊: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔽𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕝𝕪 ❦ [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021426
Comments: 646
Kudos: 200
Collections: Best Kuroko no Basuke fanfiction:





	1. ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The date at the beggining is the current date, regardless of dream/flashback. Those are NOT dated.

_**1st July, Sunday** _

The room was gloomy, with little light, but a figure sitting in front of the computer was unmistakable. The unknown individual — a man, clearly visible from the built of the body,— cared little for the poor lighting of the room. His eyes only lingered on the screen of the computer.

『 **ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ #7: ᴋɪꜱᴇᴋɪ** 』  
|=|=

  
_ꜰɪʟᴇ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ... ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴡᴀɪᴛ..._

|=|=

ᴄᴏɴꜰɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ꜰɪʟᴇꜱ/ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪꜱᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʀᴇQᴜɪʀᴇᴅ

ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴇɴᴛ-

|=|=

**ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ ɢʀᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ**

_ꜰɪʟᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴡɪᴇᴠ:_

**ꜰᴏʟᴅᴇʀ 01:**

|=|=

**ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 015: ᴘʜᴀɴᴛᴏᴍ**

ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: ᴍᴀʟᴇ

ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙɪʀᴛʜ: ᴊᴀɴᴜᴀʀʏ 31ᴛʜ

ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ: ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ/ ɴᴏɴ-ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪꜰɪᴄ

ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ: ᴍɪꜱᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ (ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʟᴀᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇꜱ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ/ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴜɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ); ꜰᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ʀᴇꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ

ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴏᴜꜱʟʏ ɢɪᴠᴇɴ ᴅɪꜱᴄɪᴘʟɪɴᴀʀʏ ʟᴇꜱꜱᴏɴꜱ. ᴛᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴇʟɪᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀꜱ ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀꜱ’ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ. ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇʀᴜᴍ ʟᴘ05. ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ _ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ_ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴅᴀᴘᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇʀᴜᴍ ᴇ-ᴇ2. 95% ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 006 ᴀɴᴅ 80% ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ 004. ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴀᴠᴇʀᴀɢᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 008/2, ᴀʙꜱᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ɴᴏɴ-ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙʟᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 008/1. ᴘʀᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʀᴜʟᴇꜱ, ᴄᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 006 ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ (ᴀᴋᴀ, ᴍᴏᴍᴏɪ ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ/ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 0) ɪꜱ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇɴᴇᴅ.

**ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 006: ᴘʜᴀɴᴛᴇʀ**

ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: ᴍᴀʟᴇ

ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙɪʀᴛʜ: ᴀᴜɢᴜꜱᴛ 31ᴛʜ

ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ: ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ

ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ: ꜱᴘᴇᴇᴅ/ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ ɪɴꜱᴛɪᴄᴛꜱ

ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴅʀᴜɢꜱ, ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜱɪɢʜᴛ, ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴍᴇʟʟ. ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ꜱɪɢɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ ᴀɢɢʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴠᴇ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏᴜʀ –ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ– ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀꜱ ᴅɪꜱɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇꜱᴛ. 95% ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 015 ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ꜰᴀᴍɪʟɪᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴏᴜꜱʟʏ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ. ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ᴘᴏꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘɪɴɢ ᴘᴀᴄᴋ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟɪᴛʏ. ᴘʀᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʀᴜʟᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅꜱ ꜱᴇɴɪᴏʀ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀꜱ ɪɴꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴏʀꜱ, ᴄᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 015 ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴇᴍᴀʟᴇ (ᴀᴋᴀ, ᴍᴏᴍᴏɪ ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ/ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 0) ɪꜱ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇᴇᴅ. ( **ɴᴏᴛᴇ:** ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀꜱᴏᴜꜱ)

_ɴᴏ ꜰᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ..._

**ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ:** [ _-___-____ ]

The man frowned at the screen. Not because it asked for the password, no. He knew the password, after all, these were his files. He was frowning becuase he was unaware of the current status of said subjects. Of course, he knew the location of each one — well no. Subject 008/1 had been a failure and since his escape, no agent had been able to track him.

That was dangerous. Said Subject had escaped after being expelled from the Basketball Club on the orders and insistance of Subject 004. Of course, said insistance was understandable, as 008/1 had been a danger to all other present subjects due to violent behaviour. But still... the escape had been sudden and most unexpected and since then, he hadn’t been found.

Frowning even more, the man clicked on another file, letting it pop up on the screen.

_ꜰɪʟᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴘʀᴇᴡɪᴇᴠ:_

**ꜰᴏʟᴅᴇʀ 02:**

|=|=

**ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 008/1: ᴄᴏᴘʏᴄᴀᴛ**

ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: ᴍᴀʟᴇ

ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙɪʀᴛʜ: ɴᴏᴠᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 2ɴᴅ

ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ: ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ

ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ: ᴄᴏᴘʏɪɴɢ

ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴀʟ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴅʀᴜɢꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ-ᴇɴʜᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴇxᴇʀᴄɪꜱᴇꜱ. ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ... ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴀꜱɪɴɢʟʏ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪɢʜᴇʀ ᴅᴏꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴅʀᴜɢꜱ ᴀᴅᴍɪɴɪꜱᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ. ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ/ ᴅᴇꜰɪᴇꜱ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 004. ᴍᴜᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ, ᴡᴇᴀᴋᴇʀ ᴠᴇʀꜱɪᴏɴ ᴏɴ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟ ɪɴꜱᴛɪɴᴄᴛ. ᴅɪꜱᴘʟᴀʏꜱ ꜱᴀᴅɪꜱᴛɪᴄ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴄɪᴇꜱ (ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ɪᴍᴘʀᴏᴠᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠɪᴏᴜʀᴀʟ ʀᴇᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ).

**ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 008/1: ᴄᴏᴘʏᴄᴀᴛ - ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ꜰᴀɪʟᴇᴅ**

**ɴᴏᴛᴇ:** ꜰɪɴᴅ ɴᴇᴡ ᴄᴏᴘʏᴄᴀᴛ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ

_ɴᴏ ꜰᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ..._

**ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ:** [ _-___-____ ]

He frowned. Most of the files were outdated by now and that was not good. While the subjects had been seperated and put under survelience, instead of direct treatment... _Project_ _#7_ was still underay. And they could not properly evaluate or control the subjects. That could be a setback. Something had to be done.

The man hummed to himself. Something had to be...

Ah yes. Smiling slightly, the man took out his phone and typed a message. The presence of others may make things harder... but the seven had been conditioned well enough to remain silent. They were gone from Teikō’s care for months now and nothing had been done. All seven were coerced into silence and even the presence of others had not changed that, of that the man was sure.

After all, the seven had showed signs of violent behaviour, trust issues and everything else, that could put them farther from general society. Not to mention the six despised each other. Well... that could be a setback, they didn’t want bloodshed, after all.

But as long, as _Emperor_ was kept in check, they wouldn’t have to worry. After all, _Phantom_ was physically too weak to pose any treath, even if he had _Emperor’s_ bloody tendencies...

Satisfied with the plan and sure of his infallibility, the man sent the message. He pocketed his phone and turned to the screen, clicking and typing to change the files he’d recently opened.

『 **ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ #7: ᴋɪꜱᴇᴋɪ** 』

ꜰᴏʟᴅᴇʀ ʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ... ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴡᴀɪᴛ

ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀɪᴛɪꜱᴇᴅ

ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴜꜱ: **ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴀᴛᴇᴅ**

With a satisfied smile on his face, the man turned off the computer and left the office. Soon, all seven subjects would be re-gathered, where they should be and the organisation could continue its work. (Even if the risk of the six killing one another was present... well, casualities. Who cared for small casualities? This was all for the greater good.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and share your thoughts. Thank you :3


	2. ᴛʜʀᴏɴᴇ — ᴀᴋᴀꜱʜɪ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Akashi has two personalities... well I kind of involved some conversations between the two selves of him. The italic bold are the non-dominant self.  
> WARNING: Implied/referenced human experimentation, implied/referenced torture, implied/referenced child abuse, child neglect

_**2nd July, Monday** _

_When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the white ceiling and the uncomfortable feeling in his arm. Slowly, Akashi shifted and sat up. His vision burled at the sudden movement, bringing with it a wave of nausea. He swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths to try fighting the urge to puke. When the worst of it was gone, he shifted and noticed the IV and the needle penetrating his skin._

_A soft growl escaped his lips, reaching for the metal._

_First... when they’d come to Teikō, it was just the “winners“ speech. It was just their teachers and coaches encouraging them to do the best, because the world belonged to winners. Few months after joining the basketball club, the small things started. They should have noticed it then, if not before... but they’d been young and naive. Besides, back then, only measurements had been taken and some data collected on their general progress._

_Now... more than a year had passed and they were in their second year of Middle School. For months now, it was a normal occurance to be subjected to such treatments. Pills, injections, memory enhancements, ball handling... things that concerned basketball. Things that didn’t._

_There were things he didn’t think was entirely okay to be done to another human — all the prodding and probing. The tests, the needles... or the pain — beating and increased training until they crumpled to the ground, — when they lost a match._

_If they lost a match — Teikō didn’t tolerate failute. Failure was not an option, if they wished to survive. But sometimes, just **sometimes** they slipped up — because sometimes even the best laid plans failed, no matter what,— and the training matches between the Strings... didn’t go well. Akashi hated that. He hated that, because it mean more pain and probing._

_The first year hadn’t been too bad altough by the end... they could tell something was afoot. But then Kise came and somehow the lively blonde wormed his way into their little circle. His appearance somehow breathed new life into their bonds and that eased Akashi’s worries. Then he officially joined the club and Hell seemed to break lose between him and Haizaki..._

_Haizaki had been **treated** by then, like the rest of them. Kise still won and Akashi felt it better to have the blonde join. Today... he wished he could have told Kise to **run and never look back.**_

**_He_ ** _was the Captain. He should have protected his team. Because by now, they were a team. All of them were his siblings and as the Captain, he felt it his responsibility to protect them._

_He hissed softly, brought out from his thoughts, as he removed the needle from his arm. Kami... he didn’t want to know what was inside that thing. What had even happened? He couldn’t recall._

_Everything was dull and his head hurt as if his skull would split open any moment. He had to leave — find the others and ask what happened. Somone in white would come eventually, but Akashi didn’t feel like waiting. If people in white appeared, that never meant anything good. He sat up and took a deep breath, to gather himself again. Nani? Where were his shoes?_

_Ah, no matter... Where was he? He didn’t remember seeing such a room before. Where were his teammates?_

_The door suddenly opened, revealing a tall man with short, spiky black hair and pale green eyes. There was some sort of coldness to him. The man’s eyes glinted, as he was spotted sitting and the look was rather unsettling, Akashi had to addmit..._

_“Where are the others?“ he asked in a low tone._

_The man stopped to study him. “Lay back.“ he instructed coolly._

_“Where are my teammates?“ he repeated again, rising from the bed. For a moment, he staggered, his balance feeling off, but it didn’t take too long to find his footing._

_The man frowned, as he approached. ”I will not warn twice, Subject 004. Lay back. That was an order.”_

_His eyes narrowed on the man. Order. He hated orders. He hated when others thought they could get away with disobeying **him.** He had proved his skills on court and outside of it as well. He was the best. If there was someone better, than him... well, he’d make sure whoever it was, would learn their place quickly._

_“You do not command me.“ he said softly, poisonously, as he approached the adult._

_His head hurt and his eye burned. He wanted to know where his team was. He was the Captain — they could not stay without him for long. (They would not know what to do. They would worry. Out of worry, headlesness was born and that resulted in anarchy. That could not be. He didn’t wish for that — any more missteps and his team would suffer. He was their Captain. They followed his command and in return, he protected them.)_

_The man glared sharply and moved, to strike him, but Akashi ducked under the move — suddenly the other’s movements were much clearer. Predictable. He grabbed the scalpel on his left and with a simple, swift move, the man fell to his knees, as their gazes met._

_Akashi snarled. “Your head’s held too high, bastard.“_

_There was terror... and perhaps some sort of realisation in the man’s eyes?_

_“ **Where** are my **teammates**?“_

_The man took a deep breath and tried to stand up, glaring at him. “Insubordination is not accepted, 004. Return to your bed and —”_

_Akashi cut him off by jamming the scalpel into the man’s shoulder. He cried out and Akashi glared down at him, as the man sunk lower. “Like that. Grovel at my feet... and next time I order you to tell me where my teammates are, you **will** do as told. **My orders are absolute**.”_

_The man looked equal parts angered and terrified. He tried reaching out, but Akashi was faster. He dodoged the outstretched hand and bolted for the door. As he tore the damn thing open, eyes scanning the corridor, as he strode from the room, he could hear the man speak to someone._

_“Alert! Subject 004 on the loose and seems to exhibit violent...” the rest of the sentece was lost, as he got father away, but Akashi cared not for what was being said._

_He would find his teammates first and then..._

Akashi’s eyes snapped open, as his phone chimed with a message from their secret little app. He blinked to chase away the last cobwebs of sleep and sat up, reaching for his phone.

_**6:30** _

It was time to wake up. Oh... a message from... Tetsuya? And Daiki? What were those two doing up and about so early in the morining? They loved to sleep too much, to be awake just yet. (From that love for sleep came Daiki’s greatest problem. He was always late.)

He frowned a bit, but before he could see what the messages were, there was a knock on his door. “Young Master. It’s time to wake up, if you do not wish to be late from your practice.”

“I’m awake!” he called back, shaking his head.

Ah yes. They had basketball practice before today’s classes started. He frowed a bit, displeased. How could he have forgotten? he threw down his covers and hurried to get ready. Being late was not acceptable.

The images of his dream still lurked in the back of his mind, but he squashed them ruthlessly and washed instead. A bad night would not hinder him. He had a day to get trough and letting the dream get better of him would just cause trouble.

Focus on basketball. He had training.

* * *

The first thing Akashi noticed, when he entered Rakuzan’s gym, was the eerie quiet.

No one had arrived yet. Ah, well he’d always been early, this morning was no different. He closed the door and started his usual warm-up routine. His teammates had about fifteen minutes to arrive yet, so that was alright. As long, as they were on time, he had no problem.

Ten minutes after his arrival, only his current Phantom player was present. Mayuzumi Chihiro was not exactly a fan of basketball, he preferred the company of his light novels, from what Akashi understood, but he was punctual. A lot like Tetsuya, not only in the low-presence aspect, but his love for the game, too. Altough wherein Tetsuya was rather expressive, when it came to the game, Mayuzumi kept his passion to himself. (Nonetheless, Akashi knew he loved basketball. Rakuzan was not Teikō. If Mayuzumi didn’t love the game, he would have long quit. True, it had been Akashi, who found him and offered him a spot on the team... but Mayuzumi had settled in well and was dilligent in training.)

“Good morning, Chihiro.”

The silver-haired third-year gave him a nod. “Morning. Shall I start the warm-ups as well?“

Akashi nodded. “Yes and then proceed with your usual routine. It looks like I’ll be having a little chat with the rest, once they arrive.”

It took longer for the Uncrowned Kings to arrive, than the amount of patience Akashi had after that shitty dream. So... maybe it wasn’t so much of a surprise, when he pinned the three way-too-loud-so-early-in-the-morning players with a deathly glare.

“I believe, _I said something_ , concerning morning practice, _Eikichi, Kōtaro, Reo_.“ he greeted chillingly.

“M-morning, Captain.” the blonde greeted, scratcing his cheek, “W-we’re sorry?”

His eyes narrowed, as he walked closer. “To me it seems, you are not. You keep being late, when I warned you not to be.”

“Well, you see —“ the Small Forward fumbled with his words, “I kinda overslept. Besides... it was just five min—“ he was cut off, as the redhead approached.

“My words are _absolute_ , Kōtaro and I told you all, _when_ to be here in the morning. I do not tolerate tardiness.”

“Sei-chan it...”

Akashi growled and Mibuchi fell quiet. “Are you contradicting me? Questioning me?”

“No.“ the Shooting Guard replied quickly. “Not at all.”

“Then proceed with your training. I will not forget this and your routines are doubled for the week.”

“WHAT?! But...”

Akashi took another step closer and as his eyes met the Shooting Guard’s, a gentle touch... and the Vice-captain was on his knees, looking at him with fear. “Do. Not. Disobey. Me.“ he said slowly, “You could have avoided this, if you learned to use a clock. Doubled training for the week, for you three.“ he growled softly, _“Am I clear?”_

They all nodded hurriedly, fidgeting nervously.

“Then _proceed_.“ he bit out sharply and they scrambled to do, as he ordered.

This was _not_ Teikō anymore, a small part of his brain whispered. He should not be training the team this way. They didn’t have to know the horrors _he_ (and his _family_ , because _they_ had become family, sometime amidst the endless days of exhasution, pain and screams) had gone trough. Only the stong survive and a small part of him had come to care for Rakuzan, because they reminded him of how they, the Kiseki had been. Only the strong survive and he wanted Rakuzan to _survive_. He had failed once, as a Captain and he refused to fail again.

 _Victory is everything and you must be strong to attain victory_ , a part of him whispered. Tyrant, the Basketball Club as a whole, whispered when they thought he could not hear. They feared him and despised his training methods. The Second String was vocal about their opinions, if careful. The First String didn’t complain, but Akashi knew they thought the same.

He had heard them once. _Like an emperor, damn it. Tyrant. What’s next, coach giving him a throne to sit on, while he lords over us, during training?_ _We can win anyway._

Akashi had not told Mayuzmi he had heard his words. They had hurt somewhat, but they kind of reminded him of his youngest brother, the fragilest... who had been the glue of the team. Who still was the glue. If not for Tetsuya, they would have fallen apart at the seams, after they’d been forced to split up after graduation.

Rakuzan thought he forced them to train this hard, so they could win all their matches without anyone standing in their way. But it was not true. Strenght meant survival and strenght and skill could only be attained trough training.

~~To hell with victory, he just wanted to survive.~~

Even if they called him a tyrant, he would make sure Rakuzan would never have to feel the pain he (and his siblings) had felt, when they had lost. Rakuzan thought he was high-and-mighty... untouchable, atop the throne they imagined him to have... but the thing was, he had never known what it was to taste the sweetness of victory. Back _then,_ victory just meant you were useful for another day...

* * *

Unruffled. Composed. Absolute.

 ** _Do not show weakness._** his other self whispered from the deepest crevices of his mind. Akashi took a soft, yet deep breath and stood straight. He was tired, but not so much as to collapse into that boneless heap, as his teammates.

The coach had just entered and his gaze travelled trough the massive gym. A dark eyebrow quirked upwards, as the man looked at him.

“I see you did my work for me yet again, Akashi.”

Akashi hummed. Shirogane Eiji had a good heart, that much he could tell. He did not know what familial connection his current coach and his coach from Teikō shared. But there was _something_ — same name and all. Nonetheless, he had never asked, it wasn’t really his business. What mattered, that the man was just as capable, as his relative and despite his tough exterior, he cared a lot for the team.

Akashi didn’t trust adults.

He had learned it the hard way, that trusting adults led to more pain, than relief. Only very few could be trusted. Luckily for him, his coach was one such person. There was just something endearing about the man... despite his seemingly unapproachable aura.

“As the Captain, it is my responsiblity to ensure the team performs the best way possible. And I’m used to training others.“

The man hummed. “I take you did it at Teikō?“

Akashi did his best not to flinch at the name. _‘Do not show weakness.‘_ he thought, _‘Weakness and imperfection are unacceptable. Only the best survive.‘_

 ** _We’re absolute_** _._ his other self whispered, _**He cannot do anything against us. Those back at Teikō couldn’t do much either, could they?**_

 _‘I never want to kill again!‘_ Akashi spat back, _‘Enough blood has stuck to my— our hand already. Never again. Even then... I had done so, so that all seven of us could survive. Absolute yes... but I will not take another life. **Never** again.‘_

“We trained together. I only asked them to do, what I had done, altough as our respective talents showed and our positions on court became ultimately defined, the training regime had changed for us all.” he stated simply.

Let the man believe he had done the training. (Well he _had_ trained his team. To a point... but that was more like breathing life into them. Reminding them, that if they failed, there would be painful, _grave_ consequences.)

“Well, that is most fortunate, thank you. For now, I believe that will be enough. You should all go and get ready for your classes.“

The team slowly peeled themselves off the floor and grumpling about Captain being a tyrant, they dragged themselves to the showers. Akashi ignored their grumpiness. He had failed to protect the Kiseki.

He shall _never_ fail again. Failure was not an opinion. ~~Winning was everything.~~

“Akashi?“

“Hai, kantoku?“ he asked, as he turned to look at the man, keeping up his blank, composed mask. It was something... a sort of _conditioning_ him and Tetsuya had gone trough together. Do not show emotion. Altough, admittedly, it had been ingrained into the teal-haired boy in a different way, due to his different playstyle. Nonetheless, Akashi had gotten a taste of that conditioning himself, as the Captain of the team.

(He bore a lot of probing and suffering, so his team would suffer less. They suffered anyway —they _all_ did —but the more he bore, the less the other six had to withstand. _He_ was the Captain, _he_ was supposed to _protect_ them.) He had failed.

“Are you alright?“ the man asked, just a silver of concern colouring his tone.

Akashi contemplated his answer for a moment. This man bore the same name, as the one who had shielded them, until his very last day in working for Teikō. (A part of him said that the man should not have been trusted, working for Teikō... but Akashi had a feeling. Something had told him, that Shirogane Kōzō had not been part of the higher-ups. He had been somehow coerced into working for the organisation, that paraded as a school.)

“I am, thank you for the question.“ he nodded to the man and turned to leave, but then stopped. The memories of his old coach still lingered in his mind. He wonered if the man had survived his illness. He turned to look at the man once more. “It may be a bit of a personal question... but do you happen to know one Shirogane Kōzō?“

His coach raised an eyebrow and then nodded. A fond look flashed trough his eyes. “We’re family, which I’m sure you’ve already suspected from the name. It was thanks to him, that I deccided to become a basketball coach myself. I take... you remember him from your time in Teikō?“

Akashi smiled, just a little. “He was the best coach we could’ve asked for. Someone... to teach us what it meant to be a team. And he heard me, when I... found our Sixth Man and then when Kise Ryōta joined. Both of them came to the team on my suggestion and he trusted me, when others didn’t. In the end, he was right.“

“You were right as well, then.“ the coach pointed out.

“We owe him a lot of things.“ he said softly, “Is he well?“

The man nodded. “Yes. He’s recovered from his illness, if that’s what you mean. Obviously he could not continoue his work, but he is well and living comfortably with his famiy.”

Akashi hummed. “Please tell him, I hadn’t forgotten it. Beofre he and Nijumura-sempai left... he told me what it meant to be a Captain. Tell him I rememer it.“ he turned then and walked towards the door.

“I will tell him.”

Akashi sighed. And as he hurried to change out of his training clothes, he wondered... if Shirogane Eiji knew the nightmares of Teikō. Perhaps, he did. Perhaps he didn’t. A part of the redhead wished the man didn’t know, because that was better, safer.

A part of him wished, that his coach knew. If he knew, it meant the man didn’t look at him differently for it and treated him, as a human. He was just starting to remember, what it meant to be treated as a human, after leaving Teikō... (Was he —were they— even _human_ anymore, after all that had happned behind those closed gates?)

Maybe he was human. Maybe he wasn’t. That didn’t matter.

What mattered was the survival and safety of his team (current and past alike). Let Rakuzan call him a tyrant, who was only missing a crown to rule the school... he’d take it, as long as it meant they were safe and fine.

If he was a tyrant, than his throne had been built from the suffering of his Kiseki teammates and he would never want another to have a throne like his own. _Ever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments. Arigato :)


	3. ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇ — ᴋɪꜱᴇ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first, italics part of the chapter before the break is a flashback/past scene
> 
> WARNING: Implied/refenced human experimentation, implied/referenced torture, implied/referenced child abuse, child neglect

_**2nd July, Monday** _

_Kise noticed the apologetic looks the Captain — Akashi Seijūrō— kept sending his way. There was something... something unsettling in that look. It was like Akashi was trying to convey feelings he refused to speak out loud. Apology... sadness and pity?_

**_Why would Akashi pity him?_ **

_Teikō had the best Basketball Club in the entire Japanese Middle School circuit and being part of it was an honour. On the top of it all, he was part of the First String too, just like Akashi and Kurokocchi. Kurokocchi was quiet and reserved... but his skills, the basketball he played was awe-inspiring. Aominecchi was cool too — Kise still remembered the training he’d caught a while back... Aomine looked amazing._

_Kise wanted to be like Aomine. And then Kurokocchi. Kurokocchi was even more amazing... because his basketball wasn’t flashy, like Aominecchi or Akashi. His basketball was different, more refined. It was like he —and Akashi too— were always two steps ahead of everyone, when on court. They looked awe-inspiring, when on court. The way Akashi led the game. The way Aomine ruled the court. The way Midorima scored from half-court without even looking at the basket. The way Kuroko disappeared, only for the ball to land in Aomine’s grip. And Murasakibara too... tall and intimidating teen for the first glance, with the ultimate defence. And while he seemed bored... Kise could tell he had some deep passion for basketball, even if he hid it._

_(All the team had that passion in them, he noticed. Kurokocchi was almost invisible, when playing... but the fire, the passion for basketball was the strongests in his eyes. That passion was great and bright, like a bonefire.)_

_He wanted to play like they played. So he joined the team._

_Somehow... just a week after his arrivial, he felt at home with them. They were an interesting bunch and they had something, that drew him in. (Momoi was the sweetest manager he’d met — and a girl, who shared Aomine’s undying love for basketball. A rare, but refreshing sight. He wished his own manager were like Momoicchi— kind, caring and efficient and passionate in what she was doing. More a friend, than a collegue.)_

_And then he met Haizaki. Haizaki Shōgo was the biggest bastard of the planet. Or so, he believed, until he found out, **what** it meant to be the part of Teikō’s Basketball Club._

_The rigorous training — the run they had him do. The ball handling exercises, the agility training. Oh and the memory training. And from there, it just got worse. Pills, singeries... prodding and probing. Sweat, blood and pain._

_Nothing was enough for them. And when he tried resisting, they treathened his teammates — and Kise bent. Because even if he had not been here long, they were his **teammates** , who had helped him. Trained, studied and ate with him ever since he first turned up at the gym. Not to mention Haizaki — Haizaki made his life even harder and he had to struggle, to keep up. He didn’t really understand, why Teikō was the way it was... ~~It didn’t matter, only surviving mattered.~~_

_... but he understood, that if he was weak, no longer useful, he would never go home again. He would disappear. (He didn’t want to disappear. He wanted people to remember his name, he wanted to leave his mark in the world.)_

_But he could barely handle the training and his current injury, courtesy of Haizaki..._

_“Ryōta?“ (Only one person called him that so seemlessly, so smoothly. It should have been odd, somehow bothersome, how Akashi called him by the name like that... but it wasn’t. It fit oddly with the Captain’s commanding nature.)_

_Kise blinked, trying to clear his vison, which was swimming with tears. He took a deep breath and then looked up, flashing a perfect, stage smile at his Captain. “Hello, Akashicchi. What are you doing here still? Shouldn’t you be on your way home already?”_

_The redhead pushed himself away from the doorframe and gently closed the locker room’s door. “I could ask the same thing. We’re done for today and you still have homework to do.” Kise sighed softly and studied his Captain._

_Akashi had changed back into the Teikō uniform, instead of staying in his training clothes... and despite the rigorous training, he looked regal and intimidating. He never thought that such a short person could be so goddam **intimidating**. _

_But he didn’t say that. About two weeks into his membership in the Club, he learned that neither the Captain nor their Phantom tolerated comments about their height — actually, they would even help each other hound the poor idiot, who dared commenting on their height. After witnessing that scene... something that would forever leave a mental scar (oh gods, the screaming and the pleading... heck one of the poor bastards started chanting some exorcism—), he swore **never** again to underestimate short people. Especially not the two on his team._

_“I could ask the same thing.“ the redhead said, “Besides, as the Captain, I’m responsible for the proper closing of the gym and the rooms. Only when everything’s clear, can I leave the keys on the coach’s desk and leave.”_

_Kise blinked and scrambled to stand. “O-oh my bad! I totally forgot that, su_ _~! S-sorry, Akashichhi. I’ll leave the—”_

_“Ryōta.”_

_The blonde froze and very slowly he turned to face Akashi. The aura the other gave off was unsettling. “H-hai?”_

_“I’ve seen your fall today, when you versed Shōgo. Are you well?”_

_Inwardly, he winced. No he wasn’t fine. He had fallen badly and his wrist might be broken... Outwardly, he tried showing nonchallance. He flashed an easy, charming smile— some sparkles added too, for extra measure. He might be a model, but being a model meant having some acting skills too. “I’m fine. The fall hurt, but now it’s okay.”_

_Cheterocromatic eyes narrowed and Akashi walked closer. Kise swallowed. Midorimacchi and Kurokocchi told him about their Captain’s rather recent development — dual personality. Most of the time, since it appeared, it was the worse side of Akashi. Sometimes, it was the softer, real him, the mother hen version, according to Aominecchi. And sometimes it was a mix..._

_“I hate when people lie to me, Ryōta. I’m absolute... I notice, when you **lie**.”_

_Oh, fuck his life. This was the “Emperor“ side of Akashicchi, as the team called it. Fuck. The thing he would have given to deal with the mother hen instead..._

_“Akashicchi...” he trailed off, as he notcied the bi-coloured gaze narrow. Damn it, Akashicchi looked more like a predator now, than he had the right to be. Not good._

_“I’m asking you again, Ryōta and this time I expect an **honest** answer. Are you well?”_

_Kise counted to three, but the redhead’s gaze didn’t waver. He sighed and ducked his head. “My wrist.“ he held up his left hand, “Bad fall. Maybe... I don’t know. Maybe broken?”_

_The anger and wariness disappeared from Akashi’s face as fast, as it had come, replaced by concern. He took a step closer and Kise winced, as his Captain gently prodded at the harmed limb. “Definitely broken.”_

_He winced, as Akashi pulled his hand away. “N-no... How will I train like this? If I... they...“ he shivered, looking fearfully at the redhead._

_“I will deal with that. Shōgo broke rules again. For now, we’ll deal with your injury.”_

_Kise froze, looking at the other. “B-but Akashicchi... tomorrow’s training...“_

_The redhead’s grip was firm, yet gentle. Their eyes met. Red-and-gold on brown. “I will deal with Shōgo and your training for tomorrow in the morning. For now, we have to take care of your injury.”_

_Kise bit his lower lip in worry, but allowed his Captain to drag him out of the locker room. Half an hour later, when they left the school grounds, his wrist was bangaged and there was no more pain._

_“Thank you, Akashicchi.“ he said softly._

_Akashi stopped and looked at him for a long moment. “There is nothing for you to thank me. In fact... I should be apologising to you.”_

_Kise blinked owlishly. “A-apologising?“ (The choice of words was most surprising. From what he knew from Momoicchi and Midorimacchi... Akashi wasn’t the kind to apologise to people. Even if he was wrong — as rare and impossible as that was.)_

_“Yes, apologising.“ the redhead said, tone soft, yet grave. Their eyes met again and Kise swallowed hard. Akashicchi was hard to read and he was bad at reading people. Kise couldn’t name the emotion, that swirled in the predatory gaze, but it made his troath constrict painfully._

_“Akas—”_

_“I should have told you not to pursue basketball here, in Teikō. I should have told you to **run** and never look at our gym again.“ his tone was soft and as cold, as the breeze around them, “But I was selfish and offered you a place. I was selfish and told you to **stay** , because I want to survive... and you... Shōgo might be our downfall. You may be our salvation now, the way Tetsuya had been, when he arrived. After all, the team is collectively punished, for misgrievings of one...“_

Kise Ryōta groaned, as he blinked his eyes open. Another morning — and how long had he slept this time? Four hours in a row, maybe? He shifted in his bed to stand up...

... and landed on the hard floor with a yelp, his legs tangled in his sheets.

There was a knock on his door. “Ryōta, get up. You’ll be late from school.”

The blonde tugged at his sheet and tilted his head back, to look at his door. “I’m awake Nē-san!” he called back, staggering to his feet and then throwing the sheets back on the bed.

Ah damn it. Frowning to himself, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand and looked at the bright screen. There were several messages in their private app, but as he looked at the clock he panicked.

_**7:58** _

He had roughly twenty-five minutes to get ready, if he wanted to make it into his first class on time. His eyes went wide. Shit. Shit! _Shit!_ How could he have overslept so badly, when he barely slept at all?! That shouldn’t be possbile. That was a contradiction...

He scrambled to wash his face and teeth and hurriedly tamed his bedhair — it was bad. Very much so, but Tetsucchi’s bedhair was ten times worse. Poor Phantom had little to no chance in taming said bedhair without a shower. Hence, why the teal-haired boy had made a habit of getting up early. (Because Kurokocchi, unlike him... was never late.)

It was 8:27, when he finally scrambled into the kitchen. His two other sisters were not home — not that Kise minded it all that much. Somehow... ever since Teikō he wasn’t really fond of people being around him. How he managed modelling... he didn’t understand himself. _Realy_. He disliked when random people touched him — and that was what the stylists did. That was who they were.

Random people. And afforemetioned random people were always touching him to get him ready for the shots. (Of course, they’d noticed how tense he was. But... they didn’t understand, because no outsider could ever understand. They just thought that he was nervous before shots. Oh... how wrong they were!)

“Morning, Tsubaki-nē.“ he greeted his eldest sister. They looked a lot alike — she had the same smooth skin and the same golden blonde hair. Altough her eyes were blue.

Tsubaki huffed and pushed the sandwich in front of him. “Hasn’t Takara woken you up?“

Kise flashed her a smile. “Ah, she called to me in time. Had problem getting up, gomen.” he said hurriedly, as he wolfed down his food.

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you... alright, Ryōta? You seem all over the place these days and waking up late is starting to be a habit. A bad one at that.”

He flashed her a quick smile. “I’m fine, Nē-san.” (The words were too automatic, too easy to say by now. He knew, he _wasn’t_ fine. He had trouble sleeping and even when he slept, nightmares plagued him. When awake, he had trouble concentrating and he often forgot important things. That is, if he had been awake, when said important thing had been spoken of.) Not to mention the longing he felt —so strong that it treathened to turn into actual, physical pain.

He wanted to see his brothers. He wanted to see Satsucchi. When had been the last time they had met, without having to look behind their backs in fear? _Never_ , a part of him whispered, because the fear was always there. Was it so bad, that he wished Teikō would stop haunting and torturing them all?

“Thanks for the food.“ he said, flashing her a maybe too noticable, too-sparkly smile, as he left. Fled the house, really. Not only becaue he wanted to make it in time for class... he was fleeing from her questions instead.

Tsubaki had always been too good at reading him and by now, she had surely noticed, that he was slipping apart. Because that was what happening, he realised. His brothers weren’t here. He couldn’t eve be sure they were completely okay... because they wrote whatever they wanted in chat.

He was speaking from experience. For the first month after being split up, he barely slept and ate, yet he kept telling them he was okay. ~~Will they ever be okay?~~

He ran from their house to the bus stop and from the bus stop to Kaijō. The run itself might have killed someone, considering the distance —but not him. He had ran longer distances and at grater speed, too. Besides, he kept running up and down on a court nearly on a daily basis. This was nothing.

When he reached the door, he was breathing deeply, trying to calm his hammering heart, but he was relived. He still had five minutes to spare, to make it to his classroom. Good. He wouldn’t want sensei to have his head for being late.

“Kise?“

The blonde perked up at the call of his name and turned. “Oh, ohayo, Moriyama-sempai!” he greeted enthusiastically, altough he felt none of it. (Ah, good acting skills... again.)

The older studied him sharply, for a moment and then they entered the building together, walking calmly side by side. Kise appreciated it, as it allowed his heart to calm down a little. “Are you alright? You seem a bit ruffled this morning.”

“Ah, I just overslept. Didn’t want to...”

“Kise-kun! Kise-kun!“ the shrill calls of his name made him tense fangirls. He groaned. He had neither the patience, nor the mental strenght to handle the lively bunch of females, who just wanted to get a date out of him for their own gain. As he glanced at Moriyama, he flashed his teammate a quick smile.

“If you excuse me, I have a hoard to ditch.” he murmured.

Moriyama chuckled and waved him off. Kise took off at top speed. Who knew he would one day thank Seicchi for insisting they do those goddamn “suicide run“ rounds on a daily basis? (Perhaps... the only good thing that came out of him attending Teikō, other than meeting the other Kiseki, was the fact, that everything he’d gotten there, could be also used outside the court, which made his life more bearable. Escaping the hoard of his presistent fans, since he was faster, like now, for example.)

By the time he made it to his classroom, his uniform was sticking to his back, but he didn’t care. His eyes stung. He just wanted to sleep. But damn it... sleeping in class would get him benched, if it reached Kasamatsu-sempai and...

... he gluped, thinking of that, as he slipped into his seat. _Benched_.

A shiver ran down his spine, terror sparking in the back of his mind. No. _No_ , that wouldn’t do. He wanted to survive. He wouldnat survive being benched. _Anything_ but being benched. He took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind, just as the door opened an their teacher came in. Better focus. He’d have to pull trough today and perhaps he could sneak a nap in the afternoon, when he made it back home, before doing his homework?

Maybe.

* * *

“Are you alright, Kise?“ Kasamatsu asked as they finished their warm-up.

Kise could barely breath. His legs treathened to give out. He was tired and if he had to take another step, he would just find himself spawled on the polished wooden floor of the gym. He had a free period today, because the teacher had some important stuff to take care of, so there he could sneak a nap. That had helped a bit, but now he was feeling tired to the bone again.

Damn. And tomorrow after his classes he had a freaking shot. Fuck it all.

“Yes, sempai. I’m fine, don’t worry.” he flashed the other a perfectly fake smile. The secon-year stuied him for a long moment.

Oh, please... please, let Kasamatsu _not_ see trough his facade. _‘He’s not Seicchi or Tetsucchi.‘_ he reassured himself. Kasamatsu couldn’t read him, like those two could. He never allowed anyone to read him, the way his Teikō teammates did. ~~Teammates~~. _Siblings_.

“You seem worn out and we just got started. Spoke with Moriyama too. He told me you were ruffled in the morning and you seem even worse off now.” the Kaijō Captain said, eyebrow arching upwards.

 _Not_ his Captain. _Never_ his Captain. **_His_** Captain was _Seicchi_. Once a Miragen is always a Miragen, no matter the color they wore, Tetsucchi had said. And he was right. He was a Miracle (he felt more like a monster, but details, details) and that would always be true. And the Miracles had been led and protected by one Akashi Seijūrō. His Captain was Seicchi and would always be.

Stricktly speaking, the only reason he abided by Kasamatsu’s and kantoku’s words, because Seicchi had told them to do so, once they split up. The least possible attention they attracted, the safer they would be. ~~He didn’t even know anymore, what the word SAFE meant.~~

 _Weakness is not tolerated. We are Teikō Chūgakkō. We are strong. Strong write history, while the weak fall and get forgotten._ Kise shook his head, trying to get rid of the sinister voice echoing in his mind. He was a lot of things.

A model. A student. A basketball player. A monster... or maybe a human? He was a lot of things, but he wasn’t _weak_. The weak broke back _there_. Teikō hadn’t broken him or his siblings. They were messed up and cracked, but _not_ broken.

_Weakness is not tolerated._

“I’m fine, sempai. Nothing to worry about. Just a bad night’s sleep.“ he said evenly, triyng to sneak just a little contempt into his tone, to warn Kasamatsu not to question him, while also praying quietly to whatever diety was listening, to make Kasamatsu stop pestering him. And stop the older from benching him. (Not that he would go and sit without a fight. The only one, who had the right to _order_ him to do anything — not that he did, those were gentle requests, instead— was Seicchi. And Tetsucchi.)

“Hm, very well. Then proceed with the running.“

(A part of him was happy Kasamatsu had not noticed his lie. Another part hissed at him traitorusly, that _Seicchi would have noticed his lie_ and forced the truth out of him, like always.) It was that traitorous part of him, that insisted opposing Kasamatsu, _because his Captain was Seicchi._

Kise nodded (and ignored the rebellious part of himself – because rebelliousness meant _pain),_ sighing in relief, as he forced himself to move, despite his tiredness. One more hour and training was over. He would survive. He’d survived _worse_ , than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We don´t know the names of Kise´s sisters... so I chose names myself.  
> "TSUBAKI" means CAMELLIA FLOWER, while "TAKARA" means TREASURE, JEWEL.
> 
> As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think. Arigato :3


	4. ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇꜱ — ᴀᴏᴍɪɴᴇ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for the chapter? Well... Does Aomine´s foul language count?

_**2nd July, Monday** _

Aomine Daiki couldn’t sleep.

Not that it was a new, earth-shaking discovery. He had problem falling asleep ever since _then_... since Teikō. He had gotten used to Tetsu and Tsuki being around, when dusk came and they curled together on the couch or the bed before falling asleep in a tangled mess of limbs, trying to forget their days in ~~the laboratory~~ school. If not for them, Aomine was sure he would have died from sleep-deprivation. (Can you die from sleep-deprivation? If _yes_ , he was sure he would have died from it a long while ago.)

He could do nothing but stare at the blank ceiling of his dark room and slip in and out of consciousness. But that wasn’t sleep... just a short nap, far from enough to take him trough the day. Well, he could always skip a few classes or half of practice to sleep on the roof. There on the roof, when he wasn’t confined to a tiny space, with daylight around him and at least three escape routes available... _there_ he felt safe enough to sleep.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, when his phone buzzed softly with a message. Huh? Their chat app? He knew _he_ had shitty sleep pattern, but who else?

**ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ : 3:30/ ᴅᴀɪ-ɴɪ? ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇ?**

Aomine’s lips curled curled in a small smile. He should have known. Tetsu was just as bad, when it came to sleeping. How Tsuki could sleep... he would never understand. Perhpas it was because she always fell asleep next to him and then he would carry her to her room and tuck her in. Perhaps it was because she _took_ sleeping pills, unlike the rest of them. (Aomine frowned at the thought of those evil, white... _somethings_. He’d had enough of them in Teikō, to last at least ten lifetimes, thank you very much.)

**3:31/ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ ɪ’ᴍ ᴀᴡᴀᴋᴇ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀʟʏ. ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅʀɪꜰᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ, ᴀʟʟ ɴɪɢʜᴛ. ᴡɪꜱʜ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴛᴜᴅʏ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ᴍɪɴᴅ’ꜱ ᴍᴜᴅᴅʟᴇᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇʀ ɴᴏᴛᴇꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴅᴀʏ. ꜱʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴜꜱᴇ ʜᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪɴɢ ɢʀᴀᴅᴇꜱ... ᴀɴᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴀꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡʜɪɴᴇꜱ, ꜱʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ’ᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ ʜᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴏʀ ꜱʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴀɢᴏ**

**ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ : 3:31/ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ɪꜱ ꜱʜᴇ ᴀꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ?**

**3:32/ ʏᴇꜱ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜰᴇʟʟ ᴀꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ʀᴏᴏᴍ. ᴏɴʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ᴘᴀᴛᴛᴇʀɴ... ꜱʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴜꜰꜰᴇʀ. ꜱʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟɪᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ**

He swallowed hard, as he sent that message. Tsuki should have never been dragged into their mess. She was just a girl enthusiastic about basketball. The bastards should have never used her enthusiasm and her soft heart against her.

That was one of his greatest regrets, his greatest failures. Something all _six_ of them had agreed on, without hesitation. Only because _they_ had suffered... she shouldn’t have. She wasn’t supposed to. Yet, they hadn’t been good and strong enough to protecte her. Not him. Not Tetsu. Not Ryō. Not Shin. Hell even Atsu and Sei had failed... and hadn’t that been a blow to them all?

**ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ: 3:32/ ɢᴏᴏᴅ.**

**3:32/ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛɪᴍᴇ? ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ, ᴏᴛᴏᴛᴏ?**

He almost hesitated to send the message, but he knew that it would be best to talk about it. Tetsu was the most prone to bottling up his emotions and that wasn’t _good_. (Aomine was self-aware enough to know, that _he_ wasn’t fine either. He bottled up his emotions just as much, as everyone else in their little group.) The difference perhaps... was in how they let go of it.

He was grouchy and unapproachable and dissed every single authority figure he came across (his current Captain, coach and teachers included). If not for his immense skill in basketball — if not for the fucking team name, _Kiseki no Sedai_ — and his still-passable grades thanks to his sister, he would have long been kicked out of Tōō Gauken.

Shin let go of it trough his attachment to his lucky items, trough the feverent search for the one he would need for the next day. Ryō... well, Ryō couldn’t really bolt up his emotions, but the way he hid them behind those eerily perfect, near-undetectable stage smiles... it was scary. And when he was moody, his ADHD just became more noticable and he looked like he’d fall apart at the seams, if someone wasn’t there to pick him up and reorganise his life, step-by-step. Sei kept a poker face even when he wanted to howl like a child and instead picked apart the nearest fool with his scissors. Tetsu kept the blank poker face for the longest... but if, _when_ he broke he either cried for days straight or picked apart more pople, in the bloodiest way, than even Sei... Atsu hid his problems behind apathy and childishness and the more stressed he was, the more he ate. Useless he reached the stage where he was _so_ stressed and upset that he didn’t eat _at all_ , not even maibou.

When Murasakibara Atsushi refused to eat even _maibou_ , you knew you needed to bring in the big guns. (Which usually included combined prodding from the six of them, until Sei snapped for good and force-fed him personally.)

The chime of his phone snapped Aomine from his thoughts. He almost dropped his phone in surprise, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he caught it before it reached the floor. He frowned as he read his Shadow’s message.

**ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ: 3:34/ ɪ... ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪꜰ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇɴᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴇᴀʀ. ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴏᴜʀ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ. ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴀᴄᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴇᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴇ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ... ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴋᴀɢᴀᴍɪ-ᴋᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴋᴀꜱᴀᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜ-ꜱᴀɴ... ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ᴛᴏ ꜰʀᴇᴇᴢᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ɪ ꜱᴘᴏᴋᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀʏᴏ. ɪ’ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀ ꜰᴏᴏʟ... ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴜꜱ, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ’ꜱ ʙʟɪɴᴅ ᴏɴ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ꜱᴜʀᴇʟʏ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴜꜱ...**

Aomine snorted. The tension indded.

The tension which the countless, clueless fools took for hatred. But then again, Aomine recalled... perhaps this was for the best. Let the world believe they despised each other — even if pretending killed all of them a bit on the inside, every single time. Because as long as their current teams — and the world around them— believed they wanted each one another’s blood, they were safe. Until they were the cold, unapproachable, arrogant and hateful bunch the world believed them to be, they were safe.

If they made the world — _them_ — believe, that there was nothing left to take... maybe than, they won’t lose any more of their lives to Teikō. Because no matter what, you could never escape Teikō.

**3:34/ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴡɪʟʟ ɪᴛ ᴇɴᴅ... ɪ ᴡɪꜱʜ, ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ. ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ꜱᴇɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡꜱ**

* * *

They spent hours chatting, because neither of them could sleep. Aomine was about to reply, when his phone rang. Luckily it was still muted, so the loud ringtone didn’t wake the rest of the house. Instead, it just flashed and blocked out his chat bubble.

**♪♫ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʟʟ... ♪♫**

**ᴄᴀʟʟᴇʀ ɪᴅ: ᴜɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ**

His eyes narrowed and his stomach knotted with worry.

After they left Teikō, the alumni, who had the entire thing in their hand — not that Aomine cloud put names to them, but they suspected, that Midorima and Akashi’s fathers were part of the sponsoring,— made absolutely sure they could _not_ keep in contact. Their phones were taken and changed and most of them moved to new places, due to their High Schools being scattered across the country. (Tetsu stayed in Tokyo yes, but that meant the three of them were under constant surveliece, to make sure they indded _hated_ one another and broke all contact outside of court or school activities, that officially involved both Tōō and Seirin.)

They got each others new numbers, after the secret app was downloaded onto their phones using instructions from Tsuki and Sei. But they had each other with names (fake ones, but they were in the phone). He didn’t remember giving anyone else his number. Only Harasawa kantoku knew, but in exchange Aomine had his number too, like everyone on the team.

So the caller wasn’t him.‘ _Who could it be, so early in the morning?‘_ he thought.

A glance to the upper corner of his screen told him it was 4:59. Way too early for anyone to be awake, who had a normal sleeping pattern. (Even Sei, who’d have practice today woud only wake around 6:15, maybe later. He didn’t have to worry about public transport, after all.)

Wary as he was, Aomine still answered the call. He wouldn’t know, if he didn’t answer. “Hallo?”

_“Aomine-kun? Is that you?”_

The voice was soft, a bit surprised... but very, _very_ familiar. He hadn’t heard it in years, but he would never forget. He sallowed hard and sat up in bed. _Fuck_ _sleeping_. ~~Who needed sleep anyway?~~

“N... Ni-Nijimura-sempai?“ he whispered.

_“Yes. Thank the kami, Aomine-kun! I wasn’t sure if this was your number or Kuroko-kun’s. I apologise for waking you up...”_

“You didn’t wake me up at all.“ he stated dryly, doing his best to keep the tears out of his voice. After Nijimura had left them, Teikō had turned even _worse_. With Nijimura gone and Shirogane kantoku sick — was he even alive?— there were no more sane people left. No one to stop the pain and the experiments.

_“You don’t know how painstakingly long it took to even get one of your new numbers. I didn’t even try Akashi-kun or Midorima-kun. It had been confirmed, that their families are among the Teikō higher-ups.”_

Aomine’s breath caught in his troath. So their assumptions had been correct. Sei and Shin’s fathers were in on what had been going on in Teikō. The bastards had willingly let their sons be experimented on. Hell, the fuckers probably founded the experiments! (But then again, Aomine thought, his own father was no better. The man had all but tossed him away for money, which probably Teikō had given him... and only after the damage was already done, did Tsuki’s aunt step up and adopt him.)

But then again, Tsuki’s aunt and uncle knew nothing of what was going on in Teikō. Aomine could have told them... _Tsuki_ could have... but they didn’t want them to be caught in the mess. Kami knew what the higher-ups would have done. They could not lose the last semblance of real family they had outside of the fucking confines of Teikō.

“Confirmed? Sempai... what did you get yourself into?“ he whispered, “If _they_ find out... We already lost you once and I don’t think we could take any more. Sei and Ryō will _surely_ snap... and..”

 _“Calm down, Aomine-kun.“_ Nijimura said soothingly, _“I’m safe where I am. They cannot reach here. I actually risk your and Momoi-chan’s wellbeing, by calling, so I’m more worried about that...”_

Aomine snorted derisively. “What sort of wellbeing are you speaking of? We’ve been handled, as less than animals for three years and all my siblings are scattered across the fucking country! Only Tetsu’s near enough, but I can’t see him either...!”

_“Aomine-kun, please calm down. I called you to tell you, that it will be over soon.“_

Aomine straightened up at that. “Over?“

Nijimura hummed on the other side. _“Yes, over. But for that, you will have to withstand some more suffering. I’m sorry for that, but we need access to Teikō grounds and this is the only way.”_

“Can I at least forewarn the others? And... what do you mean...”

 _“You’re still in contact? I was sure Teikō forced you to cut every possible thread...“_ he trailed off thoughtfully.

“Sei and Tsuki came up with a message app, works trough dark web or whatnot.“ he murmured. He didn’t really get the workings of it. What he knew about it, that it was privately theirs and that it wasn’t exactly legal. But who the fuck cared? The Teikō scum couldn’t track it and that’s what mattered.

_“Who?“_

Aomine huffed a bit. He forgot that they switched to nicknames after Nijimura had left them. “ **Sei** jūrō and Sa **tsuki**.“ he clarified pointedly, trying to keep his tone low.

_“Oh... so first name and nickname basis by now, I see. Not that it’s too unexpected. Well, that’s a relief to hear — that you’re all in contact. Do tell them please to be ready. I would think you need some mental preparing to do. But trust me, by the time it’s over, you’ll be all free and safe. Teikō will **never** touch you again, I swear that. Back then, I couldn’t do much... now, it’s different.” _

Aomine’s hand tightened around his phone. There was a sort of fire in the older’s usually calm tone he had never heard before. It made him wonder, what his former Captain had gotten himself — possibly all of them— into. “S-sempai...”

_“I’m sorry, Aomine-kun, but I must go. Convey my well-wishes to the team. And stay safe.”_

Aomine opened his mouth to say something, but there was a long beep. He took the phone from his ear and stared at it. It read, that the call had ended and that it had taken roughly three minutes.

Aomine just sat there, clutching his phone, trying to make sense of the conversation he just had. What... had Nijimura-sempai meant by that? It will be over soon, he had said... but what? How? Did he somehow plan to reveal the atrocities of Teikō?

Aomine shivered at the very thought. (He didn’t want that dark secret to be known. He didn’t need the disgust and pity of the world. He just wanted to sleep peacefully at night and see his siblings without fear. Play on the same side of the court, as his siblings, yet again.)

Aomine took a deep breath and typed another message into _Miracle Messages_.

**5:10/ ɢᴜʏꜱ! ɴɪᴊɪᴍᴜʀᴀ-ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ꜱᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍʏ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ. ɪ ᴛᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɴᴏᴡ! ʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ... ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀʟʟ ᴍᴇꜱꜱ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴏɴ. ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ... ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴀᴅ. ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴɴɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ... ᴡᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ɢᴇᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱʜɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀɴ.**

Fuck his life, this was too early in the morning for so much pain in the ass...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And done! Please leave comments and tell me what you think :D


	5. ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ɪ — ɪᴍᴀʏᴏꜱʜɪ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, long italics part is flashback/memory :)

_**2nd July, Monday** _

Imayoshi Shūichi was many things and not all of those _many things_ , were good. He knew it and acknowledged it, even if he made no effort to correct his flaws. (He wasn’t deaf, you know. He heard how people whispered, that he was not a pleasant company, once his real personality came trough the sweet smiles and jovial words.) He didn’t exactly care, in fact, it was perhaps his personality, that held together Tōō’s Basketball Club.

Everyone shared a desire to win and a common understanding — Imayoshi Shūichi wasn’t a pleasant person and you were better off not poking at him. It kind of hurt, but sacrifices had to be mde for the betterment of the Club.

He was many things yes, but he was by no means _blind_. In fact, he liked to think he was rather observant.

So he hadn’t missed it. The _change_ in the team the moment Aomine Daiki had set his foot inside the gym of Tōō Gauken, side by side with Momoi Satsuki.

For a First Year, even if he was the Ace of the (in)famous _Kiseki no Sedai_ , Aomine Daiki had an aura. A sort of aura, that Imayoshi had never sensed from anyone else before. And there was something odd about Momoi Satsuki as well. They settled in the Club and the team... but they didn’t _fit_. It was some sort of anomaly he had never seen before... something he could not name. He just simply knew, that for some reason, Aomine Daiki and Momoi Satsuki _did not belong_ here. (And _no_ , he _wasn’t_ being a jerk. He should have been happy, that a player like Aomine joined, further strenghtening the team, but they just, felt _off_...)

Imayoshi, at first thought, that it was Aomine’s arrogance and flippancy. He skipped practice and downright ignored orders. The only one he trully, genuinely paid attention to, even without the involvement of basketball, was Momoi-chan. At first, Imayoshi didn’t understand what the sweet girl could see in such an immature and unapproachable person, as Aomine. There was some sort of darkness shrudding the Power Forward... that just set him aside from everyone, who studied and worked for the school.

Not to mention his blatant refusal to work with the team. He remembered that first conversation, when he brought it up right in front of all the team and the coach, hoping to knock the Power Forward down a notch. It had failed. Then, Aomine blatantly stated that _he_ , as the Captain of the team should not expect any more from him, useless he proved himself as a leader. Imayoshi twitched at the way the brat was dismissing him, but resolved to change him, before he retired.

And from than on, the problems just kept piling up. Aomine skipped classes and practice too. Yet, somehow still maintained good enough grades not to be kicked out of the team — no doubt the work of Momoi-chan. Those two were never really apart and it baffled him. She was the only one Aomine was considerate with. She was the only one he listened to. Alright, not completely, but she was still better at handling him, than the team and coach combined.

Aomine Daiki was the prime example of a problem child, save for picking fights. He never picked fights, but he certainly _knew_ how to hit, that much Imayoshi remembered.

_It happened during the second week of the term._

_Momoi-chan was just settling into her role as Tōō’s manager and she was settling in wonderfully. Whenever Imayoshi thought of her datas, which he’d seen a few times, since she applied for the spot, he thought that they’d won a lottery. Not only did they have the Ace of the Kiseki no Sedai — as much as it hurt to addmit, Aomine had skill in spades,— but a wonderful manager too, with incredible data collecting skills and understanding of basketball and everything related to it. Imayoshi could count on one hand, the number of females, who had so much understanding of the game and usually those females were the ones, who played in women’s basketball._

_She, from what she’d said, never played officially, merely chased the ball with Aomine from time to time and managed Teikō’s First String, when the Kiseki rose to fame and continoued doing so, while she studied in Teikō with them._

_But her skills were impressive nonetheless. He was about to say as much, congratulating her for a task well done —she was part of the team, after all and as the Captain, he had to look after the team,— when Wakamatsu stepped forward to do it for him. No doubt, the blone had the same thing in mind... or perhaps he wanted a date from her? He couldn’t decide._

_Wakamatsu grinned and patted her shoulder. “Well done, Momoi-chan. You’re a treasure...”_

_The moment Wakamatsu touched her, Momoi went rigid and Imayoshi noticed the way her eyes widened just a little bit, deep-rooted fear shining in the dark pink pools. Was... was she scared of Wakamatsu? (Odd, because it hadn’t seemed so at first and Wakamatsu was certainly a more preferable choice of companion between a rock and a hard place — meaning, he was still more pleasant, than Aomine... if only by a margin.)_

_The gym’s door opened and Imayoshi glanced up to see their wayward Ace finally gracing them with his presence. “Hey Sat—” his sentence was cut off, as he noticed Wakamatsu close to Momoi._

_The sudden call got the girl’s attention and the fear in her eyes turned even more defined and with a sharp shriek, she tore herslef from Wakamatsu’s touch, just as Aomine lunged, like a beast. He punched Wakamatsu and Imayoshi could do nothing, but watch._

_Something sparked in his eyes —something dark, dangerous and... not entirely human._

_**“Don’t you DARE** touching **my sister** ever again, bastard!” he snarled, stopping in front of the fallen girl, eyes narrowed._

_Imayoshi almost gaped, wondering what had surprised him more. Aomine’s choice of words — he knew those two were close, it was obvious... but for such a cold, detached someone like Aomine to call her his sister...— the sheer amount of destructive anger radiating off of him or the speed with which he’d moved. What the fuck?! He’d never seen anyone move so fast in his life!_

_“Aomine, what—” kantoku called, confused and disapproving all at once, but Aomine turned his dark blue gaze on the man. Probably out of shock, surprised by the intensity of the gaze, their coach fell quiet and Aomine instead snarled at Wakamatsu._

_“Touch Satsuki ever again and_ _**I’ll break every bone in your body, before wrapping it around the fucking hoop,** to leave you hanging there and then I’ll just pointedly keep passing to the rim, so I can hear you cry every time the fucking ball hits you!”_

_Imayoshi winced at that, just a bit. Not because of the choice of words, no. He had dealt with the likes of Hanamiya Makoto before. He was used to sharp words, spoken in every imaginable way, meant to convey the speaker’s utter and complete loathing for the target._

_He winced because there was **power** behind the words. _

_Somethinig told him, that Aomine was no stranger to violence and should someone so much as touch Momoi-chan again, he would carry trough with the treath, without batting an eye. (He would perhaps even enjoy seeing the poor soul suffer and that was the scariest realisation of the day, Imayoshi decided. Perhaps Aomine had gorwn up in rough environment... but no rough, street environment births monters of Aomine’s calibre.)_

_Aomine contionoued glaring at Wakamatsu and the whole team shrunk away from him. Imayoshi needed all his willpower not to stagger back. In that moment, the way the blue of Aomine’s eyes glinted... protective. Bloodthirsty. Unremourseful._

_Aomine whirled around and knelt next to the still downed and shaken Momoi._

_“Satsuki—” the Power Forward’s words were oddly quiet and soft, after the way he treathened Wakamatsu. He reached out and Imayoshi watched in complete cofnusion as Momoi shrieked softly and scooted farther from Aomine... as if she couldn’t recogise him._

_He blinked. What the **hell**?_

_Aomine took a breath and carefully sat down, never taking his eyes off of their terrified manager. “Imōto.”_

_Imayoshi blinked again and he resisted the urge to rub his ear, just to make sure he heard that one correctly. It was one thing to know, that two friends were so close, that they almost acted like siblings... it was another to hear a gruff, cold person like Aomine address her like his sister._

_“It’s okay. You’re safe.“ he said softly, touching her carefully, “I’m here. He’s **not** going to touch you.”_

_Momoi blinked, as if trying to clear her vison. “Nī-chan?“_

_Imayoshi resisted the urge to gape, just barely. The rest of Tōō weren’t so sucessful. (They gaped shamelessly, like fish out of water.) He’d never heard the tough, bubbly girl sound so lost. Tears streamed down her face and just looking at her like that made Imayoshi want to break Wakamatsu’s nose, even though he didn’t understand why she reacted that way._

_Aomine sighed and the tension fled from his muscles in an instant, as he gently tugged Momoi closer. She climbed into his lap without too much hassle. She sobbed uncontrollably, as Aomine gently wrapped a protective arm around her. “Shush, it’s okay. You’re **safe**. I promise. No one’s going to touch you. They’re not going to do a thing you don’t want.“_

_Imayoshi quirked an eyebrow. Do something she doesn’t want? Had something happened to her, of which she was reminded with how close Wakamatsu was?_

_“Onī-san... I...” she choked. “That...“_

_“No. Not going to happen again, or I’m going to break every single bone the bastard has, so that he’ll never play basketball again.“ Aomine glared at Wakamatsu once more, who gluped in fear, sweat running down the side of his face._

_Imayoshi noticed the dark glint of satisfaction in the deep blue eyes, as Wakamatsu fidgeted. Aomine was enjoying the blonde’s suffering. If not physical — probably afraid of getting detention— the Power Forward certainly made sure to enjoy the other’s mental agunish._

_For what seemed to be like eternity, they were frozen into silence, no one daring to move an inch. Momoi clung to Aomine, while the Ace sat there his chin on her head, as he drew calming circles on her back. It was almost cute and Imayoshi felt like he was intruding on a personal moment. But the aura Aomine still gave off, somehow stopped him from moving. For now, the dark-skinned player was like an animal, who’d jump and tear one apart at the smallest of movements._

_It was Aomine, who broke the stiffling stillness of the gym, when he pushed her a bit farther —gentler than Imayoshi had ever seen him acting,— and shrugged off his uniform jacket to wrap her in it. “Hey, Tsuki... go out, will ya? I’ll get your bag and join you in a second.“_

_Imayoshi saw the doubt and skepticism in her pink eyes, but it was like a silent conversation passed between them and then Momoi was all but running from the gym. When the door clicked softly behind her, Aomine rounded on them, the darkness and the murderous fire he’d exhibited before, returning full-force._

_He sallowed hard. What the hell was this opressive feeling? Gods and he’d thought Aomine was a monster while playing. Scratch that. He seemed like a monster now, more than ever before. Imayoshi bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check. He wouldn’t be backing away, no matter how much he wanted to... he had an image to maintain, after all._

_Despite the similar height, it seemed Aomine was towering over Wakamatsu — who had quietly scrambled to his feet, while Aomine was preoccupied with calming their scared manager._

_“Keep in mind what I told you, or you’ll find yourself dead before the first term is over—“ he glared at the rest of the club, who took another step back and this time Imayoshi couldn’t resist his instincts to run — he took a step back too. “And that goes for **everyone else!”**_

_Aomine’s eyes, seemed to crackle with vengeful, blue sparks, as he whirled on his heels, with the same inhuman ellegance and blinding speed, with which he’d appeared between Momoi and Wakamatsu. He grabbed Momoi’s belongings, as well as his own dropped bag and marched out of the gym, never even looking back._

_The door slammed shut behind him, the sound of it sharp and sinister in the silence._

The hit had broken Wakamatsu’s nose and it was something that had been burned into everyone’s minds, never to be forgotten. Do not touch Momoi Satsuki — _at all_ —useless you want to die early and very painfully. (Hell, after that display, even Harasawa-kantoku kept his distance.)

In short Aomine Daiki was a tough nut to crack. Every single day went the same way — Aomine skipping classes, skipping practice and even when he was present he demolished the entire Club into a half-dead pile. How he managed that, when he was alone... Imayoshi could not fathom. The amount of skill Aomine had seemed to be beyond human comprehension.

Were the other _Kiseki_ like that too?

So imagine his surprise, when Aomine Daiki appeared in the gym late on this particualr day— nothing unusual there,— dragged by Momoi-chan. The unusual thing was the look in his eyes and the way he held himself.

Hunched over, his eyes dulled by something Imayoshi had never seen on him and circles under his eyes, indicating he had not slept enough, probably for several days now. He somehow looked _off_... but he was masking it pretty well. And the way he oozed _danger_ from his very self made sure no one would approach him (or Momoi-chan) to probe too much about his condition.

The others looked at him oddly and asked him if something was wrong, only to be given such a look, that Imayoshi thought half the Club would turn into ashes and he would have to go looking for new recruits.

_Aomine actually trained._

Imayoshi pinched himself just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. ( _Ouch_ , that hurt. So no, he wasn’t dreaming and Aomine was really here, actually going trough the warm up drills.)

He looked tired and stressed, but he was training. _Actually training_. He shared a look with the coach, who seemed as baffled at the unexpected appearance of their Ace, as Imayoshi felt. He needed a minute to get his wits back and snap at the rest of the team to stop staring at Aomine and do the freaking training, before he made them stay overtime.

And then they had a practice game.

Aomine literally ruled the court, getting past all the defences to score, Formless Shots and dunks. Imayoshi stopped counting the points, because it was obvious that they were going to win. Aomine seemed like he was posessed today.

The entire team from the Second String was on their best to stop Aomine — and _holy_... he knew Aomine had ridiculous forms when shooting, but _how the freak fucking hell did he manage **that**?!_ (The ball bounced on the rim and went in, just as Aomine’s foot toched the polished wooden floor.)

Just by the end of the first quarter the point difference seemed ridiculous, even for Aomine.

20-0

Imayoshi looked at Momoi, silently asking her what _the hell_ was going on. If anyone, she surely knew what had gotten into Aomine. He looked like some evil overlord from some lame video game, planning to take over the world using basketball.

They were five minutes into the second qarter of their practice match, when for a change, Aomine decided to dunk, after outpacing everyone. As he landed, the hoop came down with a sharp _crack_. He looked at the circular metal with a frown and tossed it to the ground, —the sound bouncing in the deathly quiet gym— shrugged and then made a gesture to Momoi. 

“Oi, Satsuki... let’s go. They’re not going to get any better and it’s not fun at all.“

Momoi raised an eyebrow at him, shrugged and then skipped over and they left side by side. Wakamatsu was roaring at him to get back, because practice wasn’t done yet. Aomine made a rude gesture over his shoulder and sauntered off.

Imayoshi groaned and rubbed his face. He should get _paid_ for dealing with Aomine Daiki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and share your thoughts. Comments make the world go round!


	6. ᴜɴᴇᴀꜱᴇ — ᴋᴜʀᴏᴋᴏ

_**4th July, Wednesday** _

_Kuroko groaned, bending over. He was tired, so tired, that it was borderline nausea, despite the early hour of the day and the food he had eaten was treathening to come back._

_He hated this — “suicide” was his least favourite exercise of all. It was a long and strenghtenous thing. In Kuroko’s opinion the name was most fitting, especially if someone did this freaking thing on their own volition. (He surely wouldn’t have done, if he had a choice.)_

_The thing was simple, but deadly — from the endline one had to run to the three point line and back. Then from the endline run to the midcourt line and then back to the endline. Than from the endline ran to the farther three point line and back. The last round was from one baseline to another and back to the starting point and with each round, one had to accelerate their speed. It was a **wonderfully deadly** endurance training._

_And this was the fifth time he completed the whole thing today and he was tired. Damn it. How could Dai and Sei — or **anyone** , really— do more than five of this, he would never understand._

_“The exercise is not yet done, Subject 015. Return to the endline and start again.“ the man instructed him coolly._

_Kuroko sallowed and looked at the white-clothed bastard with blank face, blue eyes as cold, as ice. “I can’t.“ he admitted softly._

_The man didn’t react, only made an impatient gesture. “ **Return** to the endline and start again.”_

_Kuroko twitched. He could not continue. He knew that any more of this freaking thing and he’ll collapse... perhaps even before he reached half court. He wanted to save some energy, because he still had to walk home and he didn’t want to worry his grandmoter. If he arrived home literally dead on his feet, falling asleep without doing anything, she would surely worry._

_Worry meant questions and questions meant trouble. He was stuck in Teikō’s clutches, but he didn’t want to drag her into it. If she got dragged into this... she might not get away and Kuroko would never be able to forgive himself, if something happened to her. She was his last living relative, his last family by right of blood. He didn’t want to worry her or get her into trouble._

_“I will not.“ he stated._

_The grey eyes narrowed on him and even before he could do a thing, the man stuck. Exhausted as he was, Kuroko staggered and fell against the polished wooden floor, slippery with sweat. He didn’t look at the man, merely spit out, a patch of bright crimson painting the dark wood. Even before he had time to do anything, the man’s bony fingers dug into his flesh and he was dragged to his feet, none too gently. His head spun from the sudden movement, as well as the blow, just a moment ago._

_“Defiance is not tolerated. If you will not do the exercise, than the time may as well be used to disciplinary measures.” he stated, tone as cold, as ice._

_The man stormed out of the gym and Kuroko staggered several times, almost falling, as he tried keeping up with the long, hurried strides. He tried getting away from the vice-like grip, but it was no use. The man knew how to hold him. (After Sei had escaped treatment a few weeks ago, driving a scalpel into one of the men, everyone was more careful. Security had been doubled, whenever they were “training“.)_

_Kuroko struggled against the strog hold of the man, to no avail — the other was older, taller and stronger than him. He had no way of getting away. (Besides, even if he got away, **where** would he go? He surely wouldn’t leave his siblings in the clutches of these monsters...)_

_“That was most foolish, Subject 015. Disobedience and rowdiness is not tolerated.” the man yanked at his arm hard and Kuroko staggered again, this time colliding with the wall. Pain flashed trough his side and arm. There was a click and the man glared down at him with cold grey eyes. “Maybe some time on your own, will help reorganise your thoughts and priorities.“_

_The man opened the door and shoved him inside with such force, that he hit the cold tiles beneath. He was sure that he would have a few bruises in a few hours, both from the fall and from the man’s grip (at this point, he didn’t even bother remembering the white-clothed monsters’ names). By the time he got up and whirled around to protest — to demand where the others were as he hadn’t seen them since morning and that was never good, the door closed and the lock clicked into place._

_The room went dark._

_So, so dark that he couldn’t even see his own hands, if he put them in front of him. For a few minutes, he listened to the fading steps of the one, who locked him in here — alone and in the dark— but then that was gone too._

_Loneliness. Silence. Darkness..._

Kuroko bolted upright, body drenched in sweat, his nightclothes sticking to his skin. He sallowed the terrified scream, that almost broke from his lips and flopped back onto his bed with a groan. Fuck life — he... _why_ couldn’t they all have normal life? Why couldn’t he just be simply friends with the other Kiseki?

Oh, wait, he _knew_! Because Teikō had to ruin everything and Teikō did not allow its “important“ students to walk away so easily. To hell with it. He just wanted to see his siblings.

His alarm went of loudly.

Kuroko sighed.

He got rid of his covers and hurried to take a shower and brush his teeth. Water would help him wake up. It would help him banish the horrid images of the dream. As he climbed out, he winced, feeling the phantom pain all over his body, as if _that_... had happened yesterday and not years ago.

He grabbed his phone and hurriedly typed a message.

**7:45/ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ. ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴏᴋᴀʏ**

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 7:45/ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ꜰɪɴᴇ.**

**ᴀᴛꜱᴜ: 7:45/ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴇᴛ-ᴄʜɪɴ. ɪ’ᴍ ᴏᴋᴀʏ, ʏᴏᴜ?**

Kuroko smiled a bit at the message. He may have been the youngest of them all, but Atsu was definitely the baby of the group. Not that anyone held it against him. They kind of even spoiled him... and Kuroko wondered how Yōsen was dealing with the different moods of his overgrown baby brother. Angry or clingy... in both cases, Atsu was a health hazard for his surroundings.

**7:46/ ʀᴏᴜɢʜ ɴɪɢʜᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴜɴʙᴇᴀʀᴀʙʟᴇ. ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ɪ ꜱʟᴇᴘᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ, ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍᴏɴᴅᴀʏ.**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 7:46/ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍꜱ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜʏᴀ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ꜱɪx ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ. ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ʀᴇꜱᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ.**

Kuroko couldn’t help but roll his eyes. So _typical_ of Sei. He typed his answer, so that the redhead knew what he thought about that typical sentence in the chat. (That and similar sentences popped up on a regular basis and about ninty percent of said sentences came from Sei. The remaining ten percent was split between Shin and himself.)

**7:47/ ʏᴇꜱ, ᴍᴏᴍ**

The answer was instantenous and he couldn’t help the small snicker, that slipped past his lips.

**ꜱᴇɪ : 7:47/ ᴛ-ᴇ-ᴛ-ꜱ-ᴜ-ʏ-ᴀ!!! ✂️✂️✂️**

Seeing that message, Kuroko could already hear the sharp snipping of scissors and feel the cold metal on his skin. Oh... speak about bad morning. Sei will kill him the next time they met... even if that happened on court. He would just be careful to kill him in a locker room or a dark corridor... damn it.

**ᴅᴀɪ : 7:47/ 😆😆... ᴋʜᴍ, ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ... ʀᴇꜱᴛ ɪɴ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ, ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ**

**ʀʏō : 7:47/ 😆😅... ᴡᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ(ᴅ) ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜᴄᴄʜɪ!**

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ : 7:47/ ᴡᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ʀᴇꜱᴛ ɪɴ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ. ᴅᴀɪ, ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴏʀ ᴡᴇ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʟ-ᴀ-ᴛ-ᴇ! 😠**

**ꜱʜɪɴ : 7:48/ ɪ’ʟʟ ᴍɪꜱꜱ ᴏᴜʀ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴜꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋꜱ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ʀᴇꜱᴛ ɪɴ ᴘᴇᴀᴄᴇ**

Kuroko grunted in annoyance. No one sided with him? (Ah, if Tsuki’s message was anything to go by Dai was in a mood again and didn’t want to leave his bed. He had the tendency to fall back onto the matress even after he had dressed in his uniform.)

**7:48/ ᴛʀᴀɪᴛᴏʀꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ 😒**

Placing his phone down, he checked himself in the mirror, to be sure his uniform was, as it should be and then quickly made his bed. Once his room was orderly again, he grabbed his bag and phone, heading to the kitchen.

He quickly prepared breakfast and ate, while cleaning up. He was oddly used to being alone by now. His grandmother had not been gone for long... He shook his head and focused on his task, if he let his thoughts wander, he will lose track of time. That was not acceptable. (Being late from classes was not something Teikō had tolerated. Anyone, who’d been late had to do extra work for the class they’d been late from and if you had been part of the Basketball Club... it also meant increased training.)

Kuroko remembered one time when he’d been late. The teacher had given him extra work and his tardiness had gotten back to Sanada (that man didn’t deserve to be callled coach). Sanada had doubled his training and Kuroko remembered almost falling asleep, while walking home. He had spent an extra hour up to finish the punishment assignment and... he’d been so tired, that he’d fallen asleep in his clothes. (Altough, falling asleep in clothes had become a disturbing routine by the start of the second year and not only for him.)

With his food finished, he left. Oh kami above... how he wished to turn around and fall back into bed. He didn’t even know when he’d slept normally... maybe he should start taking those disgusting sleeping pills Tsuki had offered? (He hated everything of that sort and with a good reason... but Sei was right. He needed proper sleep or else all the training he’d do would backfire.)

Knowing that his training could backfire didn’t sit well with him. He still remembered, when one of them couldn’t attend practice.

He remembered how they’d gotten disciplined ~~beaten~~ , if they skipped or couldn’t attend for some other reason. On top of that, their training routine was also increased and Sei had to make sure they did it. (If Sei tried— he had tried twice— giving them a slip, to save them the pain, all the team got beaten and prodded at worse, than before.)

So they learned never to skip. They learned never to be late. And that was a habit Kuroko could not shake. The memories were just too vivid, too painful. How Dai had gathered courage to even consider skipping, he didn’t understand. How he got away with skipping, was even more beyond Kuroko’s comprehension. (Tōō wasn’t Teikō... there, Tsuki and Dai were safe. He _hoped_.)

* * *

“Hey, Kuroko... are you okay? You were distracted all day and if not for the low presence, I’m pretty sure at least two teachers would have scolded you. And we still have a lesson before we can go home.”

Kuroko blinked and turned towards the voice. Kagami was looking at him with worried dark red eyes.

 _‘No I’m not fine.‘_ he thought, _‘I’m sleepy and worried and sleepy... and I’ve no idea what Nijimura-sempai is planning or when can I see my siblings again. I’m not fine. I’m sleepy and stressed and I want some vanilla millkshakes.‘_ That was what he was thinking. It was how he was feeling.

But he didn’t show it, didn’t say it. He had learned the hard way not to show his emotions. It had been one of the main aspects of his training and if, when he failed to keep up, pain followed.

If it had only meant pain for him, he would have survived. But it meant pain for his _sibligns_ too and he could not bear that thought. After _they_ ’d realised the best motivation was to harm anoother, it was what they had done. Well, until a certain point. Than, when the seven of them started to pretend they were drifting apart and cared for naught but their own survival, to save each other the pain...

“I’m fine, Kagami-kun, don’t worry about me.“ he stated evenly. He wasn’t fine. He wanted his siblings. He wanted to play basketball with them, plus he wanted a bed and a proper night’s sleep. And milkshakes. He wanted his milkshakes. (Oh kami, he was starting to sound like Atsu, when Sei banned him from eating too much candy before dinner...)

Kuroko almost groaned out loud. He had the immense urge to groan, burry his face in his hands and slip as low in his seat, as physically possible.

 _Emotions are for the weak. Emotions are useless. To read others and to aid your team... to win, you must not show your emotions. You must never allow others to read you, the way you read them. Shadows are soundless and emitonless, after all._ The voice in the back of his mind, was like the hiss of a snake. It sent a shiver trough his spine.

Kagami hummed. “Welll, if you say so... but you know you can talk to me about any...“ his sentence was cut off, as the teacher entered.

Kuroko nodded. “Of course, Kagami-kun.“ he said quietly, gesturing for the Power Forward to turn away, before they got into trouble.

 _‘I know I can talk to you about anything.‘_ he thought, somewhat sadly, _‘Anything but this, Kagami-kun. Only my siblings understand... and I don’t want you — or the rest of Seirin— to think of me as a monster. Knowing I’m one is enough. I don’t need you to tell me...‘_

* * *

He thought he would survive the last lesson.

He was wrong.

Ten minutes after starting, he could feel his stomach churning uncomfortably and his vison was starting to get blurred. Oh no... don’t let that happen. Anything but that. The exhaustion and the nerves were getting to him.

“Kuroko-kun? Are you alright? You look pale.“

Kuroko sallowed hard and noticed that the teacher was looking at him searchingly. “I’m not feeling well. May I be excused?”

The woman looked at him in slight concern and nodded. “Of course.”

He all but ran from the classroom.

He just barely reached the bathroom, when he threw up the little he’d eaten all day. Oh gods, nerves didn’t do any good. He hated when things like this happened. Ever since Teikō, his nerves would get out of control sometimes and ruin his day completely. He already had problems sleeping, but when his nerves got better of him, he didn’t sleep at all.

When he was sure that the nausea had passed, he washed his face and shuffled back to the classroom. Kagami and the teacher both threw him concerned look, but after a short assurance, that he was fine, the lesson continoued.

* * *

“Kuroko!”

The call of his name jolted him back from his half-conscious state. Kagami stood above him worry sparking in his eyes. Kuroko blinked and hurriedly cleared his desk, when he realised, the classroom was mostly empty.

“Come on, class’ done for the day.”

He grabbed his bag and nodded at Kagami. His stomach was still large knot — or maybe many little knots all over? He wanted to know what Nijimura meant... but his sempai had been annoyingly and worryingly vague. Dai really couldn’t tell more, than he had been told... Kuroko didn’t blame him for _that_...

But the dream was still in his mind. He nodded and walked out of class with Kagami by his side. The Power Forward eyed him searchingly. “I think you should tell coach and Hyūga-sempai that you aren’t feeling well and go home. Practice can wait.”

Kuroko sallowed. _Weakness is not tolerated._

“I’m fine, Kagami-kun, nothing to worry about.“ he said, as they entered the locker room and changed into their practice clothes.

It seemed the two of them were the last ones to arrive, as the others were already doing some warm-ups. “Ah, Kagami-kun, Koroko-kun. Nice to see you. Now that we’re all here, we can start practicing.”

“Actually coach, I think Kuroko should go home.“ Kagami said, worry flashing in his eyes, as he made a gesture. Kuroko frowned inwardly. He appreciated Kagami’s care, but he had survived Teikō, so that meant he could take care of himself, thank you very much.

“What happened?“ Aida-sempai asked, arching an eyebrow.

“He looked pretty pale a while back and even left class.“ Kagami supplied. Kuroko threw his new partner a scratching look. Altough he had a feeling there was no real strenght behind it. He was too uneasy to even be upset at Kagami. He just wanted to go home and look at the chat. Perhaps one of his siblings knew more by now?

Had Nijimura-sempai perhaps contacted Dai again?

“I’m fine, Kagami-kun, coach. We can go on with training.“ he assured both.

 _Weakness is not tolerated,_ the voice echoed in his mind. _Winning is everything._

“Are you sure about that, Kuroko?“

Kuroko looked at the Seirin Captain —no, _not_ his Captain, because _his Captain was Sei_ and will _always_ be— and nodded. “Hai, sempai.”

The team gave him odd looks, but they proceeded with training anyway. Kuroko did his best not to faint, trying to tamper down everything in his mind. Tamper down the memories lurking in the back of his mind or even the nausea churning his stomach. After the fourth round sweat was gathering on his brow and his limbs were starting to feel like stones... (He could feel the inquiring, worried gazes of Seirin on him, as they went trough their usual routine, but he ignored them. The more he showed, the more could be used against him. If they didn’t see his weakness, they could not use it. If it could not be used, he will not fail, simple as that.)

_Weakness is not tolerated. (...) Do not allow others to read you._

Kuroko took a deep breath and continoued. He refused to be the first one to fall. (The last thing he needed, was for Aida-sempai to get as impatient as the men and women of Teikō had become, after some time. They had been impatient and angry and they’d increased his training and very night he would feel like he wouldn’t wake up in the morning...)

No. He didn’t want that. He was many things.

He was a student. A basketball player. A Phantom. He was many things. _But he wasn’t weak._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments. Comments are my life force :)


	7. ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ — ᴍɪᴅᴏʀɪᴍᴀ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys... Here is another chapter. And since I don´t know, if I will be able to upload tomorrow and/or the day after, this is also the chapter, which I use to wish you all Merry Christmas! :)

_**6th July, Friday** _

_Midorima groaned. Even bending down to get a ball from the metal basket hurt. A few days ago he’d been prodded at again... and whatever he’d been given, had left him paralised from neck down for a total forty-eight hours. And the damn bastards had left him like **that** , after they’d realised he’d been paralised. They took some samples from him — blood and saliva— and then **left**._

_The good thing was, that this time, they hadn’t banned his siblings. So everyone had spent the night with him there, in the room Sei had taken it upon himself to feed him dinner and they just stayed there. When it would have been time to go home, the others just sent messages to their families that there would be a sleepover party and they wouldn’t be going home. Midorima thought them mad — at least they should have gone home. None of them wanted their families dragged into this... but was it dragging them into it, when they already suspected the three wealthiest of the group part of this mess? ~~It didn’t matter anymore, only surviving mattered.~~ When morning came, Tetsu fed him and then they’d been ordered out to go along with their day. At midday, Tsuki snuck in, bringing a sandwich and some more drink, for which he was grateful. When the others returned after four... they looked dead on their feet and Midorima hadn’t asked anything. The next day was the same. Tetsu fed him breakfast, Tsuki brought a sandwich and Sei fed him dinner again._

_Today he was okay. Well... better than before, for sure. He could move again, relatively normally too, which he counted as a win. (He didn’t want to die. This was Hell on Earth which he never wanted to see again, once they graduated, but he didn’t want to die.) But moving still hurt._

_So even bending down to get the ball hurt. But he could feel the many gazes on his back and he would not fail. Failure meant death... and that wasn’t an option. He would not leave his siblings alone in this hellhole._

_Slowly, he started with the ball control exercieses they’d learnt from Nijimura-sempai before he’d left. It helped getting a feeling of his hands and fingers again. Step by step, he increaed the speed and by the time he was done, he actually felt like a functioning human being again. ~~Even if by now, they stopped being human.~~_

_“Proceed with the exercise, Subject 007.“ a cold, scratching voice warned from behind._

_Midorima sighed softly and slowly, backed up to the half court line. Three out of three shots, they said. If he completed that, he would be free to leave. (Why didn’t he believe that?)_

_Eyes on the basket, he caught the ball, as it bounced into his hand again and shot. For a moment, he was worried he’d miscalculated the arc... but a moment later the ball swissed trough the net and a silver of relief sparked in his heart._

_He took a second ball and did the same as before, trying to calm his hammering heart. He will not fail —he’d promised Tetsu and Atsu not to fail... and he would not fail them. He didn’t want the others to worry about him. He made the second shot and... **damn it** , the arc was off. He bit the inside of his cheeks watching in agitation, as the ball landed on the rim... _

_Oh, Oha Asa spare his soul... please go in!_

_... and then fell into the basket. (He knew Oha Asa ranked Cancer rather low on luck today... but he didn’t want to die just yet.)_

_Sallowing hard, feeling the prickling coldness of his “instructor’s” gaze, Midorima picked up another ball. He could already feel the burning of his muscles and his vison was swimming. Was it the stress or some aftereffect of whatever drug he’d been given? Despite the pain, he took his stance for a third time, took a breath and released the ball, just as he exhaled. The ball went flying in a beautiful, high arc just as they’d wanted him to throw... only for it to be **too** high._

_It went behind the basket, bouncing omnimously in the silence and a shiver went trough his entire being, as he heard the steps of the man behind him. He was afraid even to turn around, but he knew it was a must. If he didn’t turn to face the monster in white, he’d just get beaten, which would just worsen his already bad situation._

_“Sixty-two percent.“ the man said, glancing down at his clipboard before looking back at him. His brown eyes seemed to turn darker and darker by the second, with emotions Midorima could not identify. “What is our saying,_ _#007?“_

 _Midorima shivered. Whenever that question was asked, it meant trouble. “_ _Hyaku notatakai, hyaku no shōri.“_

_“Then you should keep it in mind for the future.“ the man said and stuck, even before Midorima could move. The hit made his ears ring and he felt the cold grip on his upper arm, as the man dragged him from the gym._

_He tried to resist, but the echoes of the hit still bothered him and his body hurt from the aftereffects. (Perhaps the man knew well, that the aftereffects of the drug he’d been given would make him less likely to fight back?)_

_“He failed the evaluation.“ the man said, as a black-haired woman appeared, “Take him for treatment and reconditioning.”_

_Midorima froze for a second and then started struggling, but to no avail. He knew what was coming. After all, failure was always **rewarded** with pain..._

Green eyes snapped open, as Midorima Shintarō was snapped back to the waking world by a soft shake. His whole body stiffened for half-a-second before he moved, only to curbe his own defensive reaction, when he noticed his sister by his bed. “Imōto?“

“Morning, Nī-chan!“ she said brightly. Alwas so full of energy, untainted by the true horrors of the world... (Midorima wished she would stay like this forever, but that was impossible. At the very least, he hoped, _prayed_ , that she would never have to go trough, what he — and his other siblings— had gone trough in Teikō.) “Kā-chan said it’s time to wake up.“

Midorima sallowed and nodded. “Alright. I’ll get ready.“

She beamed at him one last time and then skipped out. Midorima peeled his covers off, painfully aware of the fabric sticking to his form from all the sweat. Stupid nightmare... Maybe he should really try those pills Tsuki took? (No. _Not that._ If he addmitted he had nightmares, that would be another win for his father — because now they knew for sure him and Akashi Masaomi were involved,— and Midorima refused to give the bastard that win.)

They knew that now, thanks to Nijimura-sempai... yet, the confirmation of it had hurt. Two days ago, he walked into his father’s study, looking for the man. Actually... _no_. He just wanted to see, if he’d find anything, that would link his father to Teikō, as Dai and Nijimura-sempai had said.

And oh sweet Oha Asa... he almost wished he hadn’t gone looking for any proof, because now, the truth — that his father was a madman, _who’d allowed his son to be experimented on_ , hell even contributed to the experiments in several ways,— was all too real. It still sent his head reeling, despite having suspected it for a while now.

That would be a day he will never forget — one of those nightmare-worthy days. A nightmare-worthy day, just like the days spent behind the closed gates of Teikō. And the look in the _monster’s_ eyes...

_Midorima stared disbelievingly at the scattered files on his father’s desk. Usually, he never bothered the man in his study, but he wanted to tell him not to expect him home in the weekend, or after, due to his tests and the upcoming local basketball tournament._

_Stepping into the study, he noticed that his father wasn’t there, but he found a bunch of papers scattered across the oak desk. Now, his father was usually a meticulous man, so seeing the mess of papers was unexpected and most uncharacteristic. (His father leaving a mess, was like he said that Akashi threw his scissors into a trashcan. Unlikely to ever happen.) Yet there was a total mess on the desk. Curious why his father may have left his work in such condition, he walked over and peered at the files. His eyes went wide with shock._

**ᴛᴇɪᴋō ʟᴀʙᴏʀᴀᴛᴏʀʏ / ᴄᴏɴꜰɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ** _A closed folder read._

_Other folders were open too, papers pulled out and scattered everywhere. Files. Studies._

**ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 008/2: ᴄᴏᴘʏᴄᴀᴛ** _**Born, Kise Ryōta** — that was just flippantly scratched there with the ugliest handwriting Midorima had ever seen, as if whoever had added that infomation didn’t even consider Ryō — or any of them, really— to be human._

**ɢᴇɴᴅᴇʀ: ᴍᴀʟᴇ**

**ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ʙɪʀᴛʜ: ᴊᴜɴᴇ 18ᴛʜ**

**ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴏɴ: ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ**

**ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ: ᴄᴏᴘʏɪɴɢ**

**ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴘʜʏꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴜᴛꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢʜᴛ. ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴅʀᴜɢꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ-ᴇɴʜᴀɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴇxᴇʀᴄɪꜱᴇꜱ. ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ. ᴄᴀᴘᴀʙʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ʀᴇᴄɪᴘʀᴏᴄᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱʟʏ ᴡɪᴛɴᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴍᴏᴠᴇꜱ. ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢʜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰʟᴜᴇɴᴄʏ. ʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴅʏ ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀᴅᴀᴘᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇʀᴜᴍ ᴘᴄ-11/2 ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛʟʏ. ʀᴀᴘɪᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ (ɴᴏᴛᴇ: ᴏɴʟʏ ᴊᴏɪɴᴇᴅ ʙᴀꜱᴋᴇᴛʙᴀʟʟ ᴄʟᴜʙ ᴏɴ 20xx/05/03, ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ʏᴇᴀʀ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛꜱ). ꜱʜᴏᴡꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴀᴠᴇʀᴀɢᴇ, 74% ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀᴛɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 015. ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏᴡ ꜱᴛᴀᴍɪɴᴀ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴅʀᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ꜰᴀꜱᴛᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀᴠᴇʀᴀɢᴇ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ɪꜱ ɪɴ ᴜꜱᴇ. ᴀꜱ ᴀ ꜱɪᴅᴇ-ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅʀᴜɢꜱ, ꜱᴇᴇᴍꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘɪɴɢ ᴀᴅʜᴅ, ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟʏ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴅɪꜱᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ/ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴍꜰɪʀᴍᴇᴅ, ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇᴅ. ᴄᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛᴇᴀᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴇxᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴘʜʏꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘᴀɪɴ. ᴀʟꜱᴏ ʜᴀꜱ ʜᴀᴇᴍᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴀ.**

**ʟᴀᴛᴇꜱᴛ ᴇᴠᴀʟᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: (20xx/03/09)**

**ᴘʜʏꜱɪᴄᴀʟ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ: 9/10 — ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇᴅ**

**ᴛᴇᴄʜɴɪQᴜᴇ: 8/10 — ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇᴅ**

**ꜱᴛᴀᴍɪɴᴀ: 5/10 — ꜰᴀɪʟᴇᴅ**

**ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢʜᴛ: 9/10 — ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇᴅ**

**ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ: 10/10 — ᴘᴀꜱꜱᴇᴅ**

**ꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ ꜱᴜᴘʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ: 4/10 — ꜰᴀɪʟᴇᴅ (ʀᴇᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ꜱᴄʜᴇᴅᴜʟᴇᴅ: 20xx/03/11 & 13)**

**ᴏʙᴇᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ — 4/10 — ꜰᴀɪʟᴇᴅ (ʀᴇᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴɪɴɢ ꜱᴄʜᴇᴅᴜʟᴇᴅ: 20xx/03/11)**

_Teikō files **. Ryō’s** Teikō files. Wh- What were these doing here, on his father’s desk? Was this.... he sallowed. He had been looking for something like this, to confirm their suspicion, but now that it was here, right in front of him, where he could see..._

_His eyes caught another file, just some of it, but it was enough, to know that it was his own._

**ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ ʜɪɢʜ-ɪɴᴛᴇʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ, ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɪᴍ, ꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢɪᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ — ᴀʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ꜱᴛʀᴀᴛᴇɢɪᴇꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ʟᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴡʜᴀᴛ, ᴏᴜᴛꜱʜᴏɴᴇ ʙʏ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴄᴇᴛ 004 ᴀɴᴅ ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏᴜᴛꜱᴏɴᴇ ʙʏ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 004 ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ 015. Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴᴀʙʟᴇ ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ꜱᴛʀᴇɴɢʜᴛ, ᴇᴀꜱʏ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀɴɪᴘᴜʟᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴏʟᴅꜱ ᴅᴇᴀʀ... (...) ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀʟʏ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇʀᴜᴍ ʜꜱ29...**

_He had come here, to look for evidence — to prove what Nijimura-sempai had told Dai. Still... a part of him had hoped, despite his own long-standing doubts, that his father was **not** involved in that mess. But that had been wrong. Very, very wrong._

_The door opened and Midorima looked up to see his father — no... that man will **never** be his father again,— enter._

_“Shintarō... what are you doing here?”_

_“What are those?“ he asked, angry and numb, as he made a gesture at the Teikō files. (Of course he knew **what** they were, he wasn’t a fool. He just wanted to hear the words from the bastard’s own mouth.)_

_His father strode over, glaring. “I told you never to come in, did I? Nah, no matter.”_

_“Wh— why, father? I trusted you! We all did!” he growled. His emotions were a mess, he could barely think straight. He couldn’t help, but think about his little sister. What if... what if she is being subjected to something like this too, without his knowledge? He was close to her, but fear is a powerful tool. After all, he had never told anyone, what Teikō trully was like... and back then, he hadn’t known his father was involved. (They had suspected... but deep down, for his sister’s sake, he had hoped, prayed that those suspicions were unfounded. His sister, after all, still needed a father in her life... but this man was no father of his. Or hers.)_

_His father’s brown eyes glinted coldly. “That was your mistake, Shintarō, not mine. You can’t blame me for it, can you?”_

_“And mother?“ he asked breathlessly. “Does she know?“ (A part of him prayed. Please say no, becuase if his mother didn’t know, it meant, that only one of his parents were utterly mad... and that he, or rather his little sister, still had a chance to grow up somewhat normally.)_

_“That woman is as blind, as a human can be.“ the man snorted derisively, the usual fondness he’d always seen in the brown eyes, when he spoke of his mother was nowhere to be seen. There was only cold loathing in the brown orbs._

_Midorima glared, as his fath- the man approached. He refused to back away — he would not be weak now. “If she finds this...”_

_“She will know **nothing** , Shintarō.“ the man hissed, leaning close._

_The Shooting Guard hissed. “And what makes you think I won’t tell her?”_

_He raised a hand, as if to hit him and Midorima instinctively tensed leaning away. His eyes glinted with sick satisfaction. “If you tell her, I **will** make sure she won’t be able to say a word to anyone. And then, I’ll go after your precious teammates, as well — don’t forget, I know where they study now. Masaomi keeps an eye on all of them.”_

_Midorima’s stomach churned. Masaomi. He knew that name — how couldn’t he know it?_

_Akashi Masaomi._

_“So his father is involved too?“ he snarled in disgust. (He had suspected, but his father didn’t need to know what they had suspected and not. And he certainly didn’t need to know the seven of them were still in contact) In the back of his mind, he briefly wondered, what his former captain, his brother would say, if he knew that. Or rather, if it was straight down confirmed, that his father was a megalomaniac madman._

_You will find out soon anyway, a distant part of his mind said. And indeed he would find out. He will write about this in their chat. This was not something that could be ignored or overlooked. Sei would have to know to be extra careful around Masaomi. (He would not call the fucker Sei’s father again. Tha man, just like the one in front of him, didn’t deserve to be called a parent.)_

_“Ah but please. Akashi and the Kuroko couple were the ones who invested the most in the experiments.”_

_Kuroko._

_Midorima almost threw up. How fucked up their families were? Kuroko... Akashi... All of them who had some form of influence or money. Well at least the Kurokos were dead now and Tetsu had lived with his grandmother, relatively safely and comfortably. The old woman hsdn’t known anything about Teikō, but that was for the better. Now Tetsu was alone, but even that was better, than having a so-called parent, who was involved in **this**. (Good thing Kise, Aomine and Murasakibra came from totally average families. Well, Aomine’s hadn’t been normal, but...)_

_He choked on the words he wanted to say. The man grunted and shoved him towards the door none too gently. “Now get lost. You should have never come in. And remember, if you so much as whisper a word of this to your mother or sister, they’re dead.”_

_He could do nothing, but flee the room._

When he was dressed with his bag ready, the day’s lucky item — a small owl statue— in his pocket, he hurried into the kitchen kissed his mother’s cheek, hugged his baby sister and literally fled. _That man_ , after all, was sitting by the table and sipping coffee, while reading the morning newspaper because he was free from work today, as if there was nothing wrong with the world. He heard his mother scold him about eating breakfast, but Midorima didn’t stop. He called back over his shoulder, promising to eat something on the way and slammed the door shut.

The sooner he left, the better he would feel. The dream and the memory it had triggered, was just too much to handle. Today couldn’t be any worse. (And the day has barely started.)

* * *

The day passed in a blur of motion and colour. He was barely able to concentrate during his classes. Uneasiness sat at the pit of his stomach, like some rock, which would not leave. He did his best to mask his mood, but... Takao knew him all too well.

During lunch, his friend asked the dreaded question. “Are you okay, Shin-chan?”

_‘No, I’m not. I’m stressed, sleep-deprived and I just had to leave my baby sister and mother with a madman. On top of that, I hadn’t seen my other sister and my brothers in ages...‘_

He readjusted his glasses and did his best to keep a calm tone. If Teikō had taught them anything... it was how to act. Act and act day and night ~~and maybe if they acted long enough, the act would become reality~~.

Teikō taught them to act. To survive. To stick together, no matter what. To juggle with the word “trust“ very, _very_ carefully and keep everyone at least an arms lenght away.

But first and foremost, Teikō taught them to salt the ground they walked, before they allowed the bastards to win.

He nodded and took a bite of his food. “Yes, Takao. I’m fine.“

Takao opened his mouth to speak again... but just for this once, Midorima allowed his crankiness to seep trough his calm facade. Takao noticed the glare and turned to his food instead. They spent the rest of lunch break in silence, for which the Shooting Guard was grateful.

He cared for Takao. He didn’t want to lose his only friend (Tsuki and the other Miragen were his siblings, so that was _different_ — you don’t _lose_ siblings like that, because they don’t just _walk away_ ). Takao was his only friend. He didn’t want to lose Takao — he feared that the other would walk away, if he found out what sort of monster was he.

And Midorima wasn’t sure he could survive another person, whom he trusted, to betray him.

* * *

Midorima was tired. Very tired. It seemed, that poor sleep didn’t exactly help his current situation. But... his coach had noticed that he was somehow off today, but he’d brushed the man’s questions aside. He could go trough the routine, like always.

_Weakness is not tolerated._

He would go trough it. And he did. Takao threw him odd, concerned looks from time to time, but Midorima ignored it all. The team started staring at him after one of his shots bounced on the rim — it still went in though, thank Oha Asa. They stared at him oddly (him missing a shot, which hadn’t been touched was unheard of), the coach looking almost concerned, but he expertly ignored it, keeping up a calm facade and politely telling eveyone _to fuck off and let him practice._ No one pressed the matter after that.

By the time they were done with training, his clothes were soaked trough and he wanted nothing than a hot shower and a canned red bean drink.

“One more thing, team.” their coach called, as they were about to leave. They all stopped. “Actually, Midorima, this is mostly for you... but the team was invited as a whole.”

The team threw him curious looks and Midorima readjusted his glasses. “Yes, kantoku?“ he asked.

“Teikō Chūgakkō invited us to a training camp they sponsor. The principal said yes, as long as you personally agreed. After all, Teikō’s coach, who made the offer — Sanada Naoto, I believe— expressed a great desire to reunite all seven members of the _Kiseki no Sedai_ , due to an anniversary.”

Midorima sallowed hard. _Teikō. Reunite. Sanada. Seven. Kiseki. Anniversary._

His whole body went rigid, breath caught in his troath, as he remembered Oha Asa’s prediction from the morning.

**“6ᴛʜ ᴊᴜʟʏ, ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ ʀᴀɴᴋᴇᴅ ᴇɪɢʜᴛʜ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ, ꜱᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ɪᴛᴇᴍ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇ. ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ’ꜱ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ɪᴛᴇᴍ ɪꜱ ᴀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ᴏᴡʟ ꜱᴛᴀᴛᴜᴇ. ᴀʟꜱᴏ, ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴀᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴꜱ.”**

“ _Seven?_ “ Miyaji asked looking at him oddly, “I thought you were five...”

Midorima frowned, snapped from his musings. “ _Seven_ , yes. The five you know, plus our _Phantom Sixth Man_. I know... you think him to be some fancy student tale, but _no_. There are — were six players, when we had to step onto court. And the seventh was our manager. She didn’t play, but her contribution to the club as a whole and to our team personally, was so big, that the teachers at Teikō jokingly started to call her one of us. So seven, yes. She currently attends Tōō with our former Ace, Aomine Daiki, nanodayo.“ he stated matter of factly, forcing himslef to speak his brother’s full name, instead of the usual nickname.

“That’s most interesting.“ his coach said after a moment, “That’s something I hadn’t considered form such an angle.”

“It is the truth, nonetheless.” he stated simply, keeping a cool tone. The more distant he seemed from the others, the safer it was.

“I know you’ve split up and I heard rumours your bonds had deteriorated...” the man started. Midorima knew it was rude, but he couldn’t resist cutting the man off.

 _‘No, they just got stronger and I want nothing more than to see my siblings.‘_ he thought. Inwardly happy, at the possiblity of seeing them. Going back to Teikō though...

“The others _may_ try to kill each other,“ he deadpanned (no they would _not_ ), “but I won’t do a thing. In fact, it may be benefical, seeing how much they’d developed since I’ve last seen them.”

“I see.“ the coach said, “Shall I tell the principal then, that you accepted the offer and that we’ll be leaving for Tokyo?“

Midorima nodded. “You may.”

“Very well. In that case, please gather in front of the school gate on Sunday. We will be leaving at 8:15, for Tokyo.Further information about the trip will be given soon. I just need to speak with the principal. Please wait a bit, after you’ve showered and changed.”

As they were dismissed, Midorima fled.

 _They were going back to Teikō._ (Why had he agreed? Ah... because the others would too, for the very same reason _he_ agreed. To see one another again. Was... was this somehow in connection with Nijimura-sempai’s warning from Monday?)

Oh, damn it all. It seemed Oha Asa was never wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The saying by Midorima is “Hyaku notatakai, hyaku no shōri“ - it means "A hundred battles, a hundred victories".  
> It was on Teikō´s page. It wasn´t specified, but it fits as a saying. Or rather, this was the fancy form of their "Always Win"-mentality, in words.
> 
> As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think :)


	8. ᴏʙꜱᴇʀᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ɪɪ — ᴋᴀꜱᴀᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜ

**_6th July, Friday_ **

Kasamatsu Yukio took pride in being the Captain of Kaijō’s Basketball Club and as such, he took his responsibilities seriously. He made sure his team was motivated and they all trained equally (himself included). And from time to time, he scolded and straightened his teammates, when and where it was needed. He treated his team equally because equality was something his family had taught him since he had been young.

Still, despite his strong beliefs about equality, he couldn’t help, but keep an extra eye on a certain someone.

Kise Ryōta, a former member of the (in)famous _Kiseki no Seidai_ (he wasn’t deaf or a fool, he knew that several people across Japan preferred to call Teikō’s all-star team _Kaijū no Sedai_ , instead), was that person. The blonde model had been a handful ever since his arrival and more than once, Kise caused him serious headaches.

It wasn’t even the blonde’s fame and fans, that bothered him. The interrupted practices were bothersome, but something he could dismiss and a few well-aimed words sent the fans running fast anyway. He had learnt to deal with that.

It was Kise himself, who was the headache.

Kise could, in a way, be considered an adult, but more often than not, the blonde acted like a five-year-old. His loud, obnoxious personality was bothersome. The way he sought attention, too. Not to mention his nasty habit of skipping practices — some of those were because of his modelling work and Kasamatsu understood that. But Kise was absent from training more, than what he worked, which meant the blonde was _deliberately_ skipping.

That bothered Kasamatsu. Yes, Kise was skilled and known. But arrogance was not tolerated in Kaijō. Still, he failed to rein in the blonde. Just like their coach. None of them seemed to be able to handle him and that was doing some damage to the team, as well. Which was frustrating and worrisome at the same time. Kasamatsu cared for the blonde — he would not have said it out loud, but sometimes it was like he had a little brother. Kise acted childish enough to fill the role.

But there were times when Kasamatsu was just plain worried for the blonde... but whenever he tried to help — it was his responsibility, as the Captain— the blonde brushed him off and pulled such high mental walls around himself, that Kasamatsu was sure not even a cannon would have taken them down.

He had known from the first day of the meeting, that something... was _off_ with Kise Ryōta, somehow. He could not name the problem, nor could he see it. But something _wasn’t_ okay. And then... that feeling, that suspicion had been cemented in his mind after a certain practice match months ago.

_He had seen the first true sign of something being wrong after they lost the practice match against Seirin._

_Kise had just disappeared, not even saying goodbye to Seirin, as it would have been polite. But then again politeness perhaps had been thrown out the window, when Kise noticed the near-invisible 11 of Seirin. (Kasamatsu had almost gotten a heart attack when he had first noticed the teal-haired kid.) Kasamatsu had noticed._

_The tenseness in Kise and the odd... feeling in the air, as their eyes met. Brown on sky blue. There was frostiness in the air? Hostility? Perhaps. Kise hadn’t spoken much of his teammates from Teikō and even less about the school and Club itself. But whenever he did speak of his days there, his tone was dead, frosty and somehow... forced? Kasamatsu couldn’t name what he sensed from the model during those rare moments when Teikō was mentioned._

_However, it was clear to see, that whenever Teikō was mentioned, Kise was ready to kill. That had not been a nice realisation. (It was scary, seeing the dark, bloodthirsty look in the eyes of someone who always smiled and bounced around, like an excited puppy.)_

_So perhaps... it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, that Kise had disappeared after the lost match against Seirin. After all, the Kuroko kid —Kuroko Tetsuya, Kise had said his name was,— had been—apparently— a member of the Teikō batch too. Their infamous Phantom Sixth man, if the clipped words of Kise were creditable, during the first break. (And the way the kid kept disappearing, Kasamatsu could understand,_ **_why_ ** _the hell they called him a freaking_ **_phantom_ ** _.)_

_Nonetheless, Kise was now a player of Kaijō and Kasamatsu would make sure the blonde acted like someone of Kaijō. Which meant he’d drag the blonde from his hiding place and drag him to say the polite parting words to Seirin, even if it meant that Kise had to face his former teammate (whom he loathed and was loathed equally in return)._

_Seriously..._ **_what else_ ** _could that stifling frostiness between the two players be, then heartfelt loathing? It was scary, Kasamatsu thought. How two people, who had once relied on each other during a game, loathed each other so much. The clipped words... the scratching greeting from Kise, the eerie blankness of Kuroko’s face, his eyes like chips of ice._

 _Kasamatsu shivered. He hoped that nothing ever would make him hate —_ **_loath_ ** _his teammates, the way the Kiseki seemed to loath one another. It was sad and terrifying at the same time. (And it made him curious, just a little bit..._ **_what_ ** _had gone south for the Kiseki no Sedai?)_

_He found Kise in the bathroom nearest to the gym. He was slumped against the wall, sickly pale, his brown eyes wide with terror, his whole form shaking. That scene alone was enough to make Kasamatsu a bit panicked and worried._

_“Kise-kun?“ the voice was like a breath of wind and Kasamatsu froze just next to the wall, where Kise could not yet see him, yet he had a perfect view. And there... there next to the blonde knelt Seirin’s Number 11, Kuroko Tetsuya. (What was he doing here?)_

_Kise choked and the next moment, the teal-haired Seirin player hurriedly — expertly, as if he had dealt with this before— helped him over to the toilet, as the blonde threw up. There was a sound of tearing paper and then silence, then the toilet was flushed and Kuroko helped the blonde sit once more._

_“Take a deep breath, please.“ the Seirin player instructed gently, “No one’s here. You’re safe. No one can see us now.”_

_“I... lost... lost... see... they... Tetsucchi... they will..._ **_pain_ ** _... I don’t want..._ **_please_ ** _don’t...“ the blonde choked._

 _The teal gently hugged the model. “No, Ryōta. They cannot see us now. You’re_ **_safe_ ** _—we’re safe.”_

_Kasamatsu blinked at that. ‘Tetsucchi?‘ That was from Tetsuya, he guessed... and did the teal just... yes. Yes, he had called the blonde ‘Ryōta‘ without any hesitations. Back on the court, neither seemed close. The mood had been stifling and frosty and Moriyama even commented, he expected one of the two to pounce, like a predator, to try tearing the other apart._

_Suffice to say, that Kasamatsu was confused. Back out there, they’d been distant and downright murderous. Now, they were hugging and using each other’s given names without hesitation. (Well, Kise was being his usual odd self, when using some names... but the point was the same.)_

_“No one’s here. Just pay attention to my breathing, okay?” Kuroko said. Kasamatsu saw, as the teal settled and the blonde curled into his lap, like a child._

_“I’m happy to see you.“ Kise murmured, “I was worried... where are the others?“_

_“Tsuki snuck over to my house a while back and downloaded the app she and Sei had made. She and Onī-san are in Tōō.“ the teal explained. (Who was this “Tsuki“ or “Sei“? Ah... wait, why would the teal attend Seirin, if his brother was in Tōō? That made no sense, since both schools were in Tokyo.) “Give me your phone and I’ll do it for you too. We can chat there safely.”_

_Kasamatsu blinked. Safely? That sounded oddly like... using whatever app the teal was speaking of, was_ **_illegal_ ** _... and they’d gotten into trouble. Was Kise in some sort of trouble and hadn’t dared to tell him? Or anyone else, but his former teammate somehow knew about it anyway?_

_“In my pocket, Brother.“_

_Kuroko hummed and fished out the mentioned device. Kasamatsu’s mouth fell open. First... Kise calls the teal by his given name and now ‘brother‘? What the_ **_hell_ ** _was going on? This was plain confusing. The last 90 minutes, they seemed ready to murder one another using a basketball — was it possible to kill with a basketball? if, yes, he was sure the Kiseki could manage it...— and now... now_ **_this_ ** _._

_He was getting more and more confused by the second. What the fuck was going on here?_

_The teal did something on Kise’s phone, while still rubbing his back. The blonde was cuddled up to him as if he could use the shorter male, like some sort of cradle. Kuroko didn’t seem bothered by it at all, one hand tracing calming circles on the blonde’s back, while his other was tapping Kise’s phone, most likely._

_“Feeling better?“ Kuroko asked._

_Kise sighed softly. “Hai... Arigato, Tetsucchi.”_

_Kuroko slid the phone into the other’s pocket. “Did you take your medicines? You know that it’s not advised for you to play without taking your medicines. Your condition may hinder your daily life, but basketball... even more.”_

_Kasamatsu reeled back. Kise was ill? And it was something long-term, that may bother his playing? (Why didn’t they—_ **_he_ ** _— know of this? Kise hadn’t filled anything in the medical part of his form.)_

_“Tets—”_

_Kasamatsu could see the frosty glare of Seirin’s Small Forward and he shivered. Who knew such a short, innocent-at-first-glance looking guy could kill with a look?_ ~~_[In Kyoto, a certain short redhead sneezed.]_ ~~

_“Now, Ryōta. Answer the question. Did you take your medications?”_

_Kasamatsu gulped. Fuck. The teal was not someone, who could not be taken lightly, for sure. Kise hadn’t said anything about that... but perhaps the teal was the Vice-Cap of the Kiseki? (He knew the Captain had been someone called Akashi, who now attended Rakuzan.) Kuroko surely fit to be one, despite his low presence, if the tone he just used was any clue._

_Kise ducked his head. “Iie, brother. I hadn’t.”_

_And to Kasamatsu’s shock, the teal whacked Kise across the head — not too strong, but not lightly, either. “Reckless. What would the Captain say?“_

_The blonde sighed. “Seicchi’s not here. He’s with Rakuzan now...“_

_“That does not mean he won’t know.“ the teal’s voice was low, but warning, “Akashi Seijūrō always knows—_ **_always_ ** _and you’re aware of that.”_

 _Okay. Now that was clear. They were talking about their former Captain and for some reason, the teal thought their former Captain_ **_almighty_ ** _(and Kise’s silence somehow indicated agreement), who would know Kise hadn’t done something, despite him being in Kyoto._

_Kasamatsu sighed inwardly, massaging his temples. The Kiseki all had a screw loose, it seemed..._

_“I know, Tetsucchi.“ Kise murmured. (Ah and there was the verbal agreement.)_

_“Stupid Ryō.” the teal murmured, “Rule number one: Do Not anger and/or underestimate the Emperor. Anyone, who underestimates Akashi Seijūrō is as good, as dead.“ the teal’s voice was eerily deadpan and matter-of-fact._

_Okay, Kasamatsu decided inwardly, the Kiseki no Sedai — or_ **_at least_ ** _these two— had a screw loose. They did just call their former Captain Emperor, after all..._

_He saw Kise stand up, heavily leaning on the shorter male, wiping his face clean with a piece of paper. “Let’s go, Tetsucchi. You’ll have to leave soon and it’s best not be found like this. Better for everyone to believe we hate each other.”_

_The teal hummed. “Yes. Hyūga-sempai and Kagami-kun both commented on our exchange. I think we were convincing enough. Izuki-sempai seemed uncharacteristically serious when he told me not to kill you on the court when I had the ball.”_

_The blonde snorted. “I wouldn’t want that. However, the kami know you, Sei and Dai_ **_are_ ** _all capable of killing with a ball. Or at least knocking someone out.” Kuroko Tetsuya smiled softly — an odd sight, considering the deadpan expression, which seemed to be the default for him—, but there was something cold and sinister in it._

_Kasamatsu winced and a shiver ran down his spine. (Note to self, three members of the Kiseki were a possible health hazard, with a ball in hand. One was their Captain, the other the Phantom. Who was the third?)_

_“We’re like that only when needed, Ryō-nī. Now come on, best not found together. We don’t want trouble.”_

_Kasamatsu panicked a bit and slipped out of the bathroom as fast and as soundless, as possible. For some reason, the Kiseki preferred to be seen as enemies... and Kasamatsu didn’t want to ruin that. He just had a bad feeling about this all. He’ll just have to keep an eye on the one, which was on his team._

After that, he was even more attentive of their blonde Ace. He noticed how bouncy and cheery he was. Maybe even _too_ much... not to mention the short attention span, if it was something not related to basketball. He also noticed, that from time to time, the blonde threw odd looks behind his back, when he thought no one could see. It was as if he was expecting to be watched or followed. It was a bit worrying.

And he noticed _now_ too.

The sudden shift in demeanour, so subtle, that it escaped everyone else’s attention.

They were done with the training for the day —and Kise had been oddly _vicious_ today... as if trying to get rid of all the energy, which he usually displayed trough childish, bouncy — dare he say... _scatterbrained_ — behaviour.

“Before you leave, team.“ Takeuchi kantoku called, halting everyone’s thoughts about a hot shower ad a relaxed weekend.

Kasamatsu looked at the man. “Yes, kantoku?“

“Teikō Chūgakkō invited us to a training camp they sponsor. The principal said yes, as long as you agreed. After all, Teikō’s coach, who made the offer — Sanada Naoto, I think his name was— expressed a great desire to reunite all seven members of the _Kiseki no Sedai,_ due to an anniversary. Kise was personally mentioned in the invitation, but it had been graciously extended to Kaijō as a whole.” the man looked at Kise, who seemed rooted to the spot, eyes wide. “But since you were mentioned... the decision is yours, Kise, as the principal said. If you decline, Kaijō will not attend. If you say yes, we will all go.”

Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow. An odd offer... but if Kise declined it made sense, that Kaijō will not attend. What sort of anniversary was this, for the man to reunite a team, who had fallen apart? Did the man not know that his former players despised one another?

He looked at the blonde. Kise was frozen. Hesitance, fear and elation flashed trough his features before they were gone beyond an eerie blank mask, so damn similar to the one Kuroko Tetsuya sported.

“We may attend, kantoku. It might even be an informative trip... to see how much the rest of my _former_ teammates have grown.”

 _‘There!‘_ Kasamatsu thought, noticing the shift in tone. It was strained and the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped a few degrees, too. But at the same time, happiness and relief shone in the brown gaze...

... and once more, Kasamatsu was reminded of the fact, that off-court the Small Forward had hugged Seirin’s Phanton and called him ‘Tetsucchi‘ and ‘brother‘ without hesitation. The Generation was an odd, mysterious bunch.

Perhaps he would find out more, if all six were under the same roof, during the training camp? (He would certainly keep an eye on them all... to see how they acted around each other, their current teams and around strangers.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, Merry Christmas to every dear reader of mine! Please leave comments and share your thoughts. Your comments help staying motivated and creative :3


	9. ᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ ɪ — ᴍᴏᴍᴏɪ

**_8th July, Sunday_ **

She was not looking forward to seeing anyone from Teikō.

Yet, they had agreed to go to the camp — apparently, both herself _and_ Dai had been mentioned in the invitation — because they knew the others would as well. Not because they had good memories of Teikō — please, it had been Hell— but because this was the only chance they had to see each other. No doubt, they’ll be watched by the higher-ups closely, but this was still better than not seeing each other at all.

Besides, they couldn’t run forever. (Would they even fear Teikō once they had grown up and were supposed to be getting jobs?) Not to mention... it was odd timing. After all, Nijimura-sempai had warned them about things blowing up on Monday. And then this camp...

Perhaps Nijimura-sempai had something to do with this. Perhaps it was the part of his plan to expose Teikō. He did, after all, say, that their cooperation would be needed as well. Still.

All weekend she’d felt like her nerves were made of rubber, that had been stretched too much and were ready to snap any moment. She couldn’t sleep, either. (Nothing new... but perhaps some sleep would have been beneficial before facing Teikō again.)

She sighed and picked up her phone and opened their chat app. Only Sei was available.

**4:02/ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ɴī-ᴄʜᴀɴ, ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ?**

**ꜱᴇɪ : 4:02/ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀꜱᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ, ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ. .... ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ?**

Even without Sei being here, she could see the deadpan expression on his face and she could hear the way he dragged out her name in an unimpressed way, just like when the others were thinking of doing something utterly stupid.

She sighed. Even from another city, Sei... was Sei. She may have been the only girl in their little misfit, broken family... but Sei was definitely the boss and not even she could get away if he wanted something. (The good thing that came from having so many “brothers“ was that she’d learnt to handle the oaf, the odd, the bloodthirsty... and all types of men she could come across. After all, her brothers were as colourful in quirks and personality, as in hair.) Another positive thing was, that if she got into trouble of any kind — although _they_ were the trouble-magnets and _not her_ — six fit, protective basketball players appeared out of thin air and dealt with what she could not.

They were all protective of each other, but she was very much aware, that she had a special place in all their hearts, as the only girl and all of them would, without a moment of hesitation kill, if she was in trouble.

Shaking her head, she decided to type her reply.

**4:04/ ɴᴏ, ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ. ɢᴏɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ... ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇ ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ʜᴀᴅ ꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴍᴏɴᴅᴀʏ. ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ꜱᴀʏ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ... ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴɢ?**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 4:05/ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ, ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ. ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴏ ᴛʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ. ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇᴛ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴ ɪꜱ... ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ...**

She raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like her redhead brother to trail off in such a manner, neither in speech nor in writing. This situation was troubling him too. He didn’t know everything and _nothing_ irked Akashi Seijūrō more than _not knowing_. Oh... this didn’t bode well for Rakuzan, once they were to meet up, she thought.

An irked, sleep-deprived Sei was more prone to killing someone, than otherwise. She hoped there won’t be any bloodshed on the bus, on their way here.

**4:05/ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ, ꜱᴇɪ?**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 4:05/ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ...**

**4:06/ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ... ɴᴏᴛ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ɢᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴜꜱ ɢᴏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. ɪ ᴛʀᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴛᴇʀꜰᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ɪ’ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴜꜱ, ᴡᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴄᴇ... ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ... ɴᴏʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀɪꜱᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴡ. ʀᴀᴋᴜᴢᴀɴ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ɪɴ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴡᴀʀʏ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ ɪ’ᴍ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ... ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ, ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴ ᴍᴇ, ᴀꜱ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴠɪᴄᴛᴏʀʏ, ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ɪ ᴊᴏɪɴᴇᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴇʟɪᴠᴇ ɪ’ᴍ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ʙʟɪꜱꜰᴜʟʟʏ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴀɴᴛ. ɪ... ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴍᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴇ’ᴅ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜɢʜ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ ɪꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴇꜱᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ.**

She sighed at that. The problem was, that she understood his problem. She felt the same way. 

**4:08/ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ... ɴᴏ? ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ʀʏō ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ꜱᴇɪʀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋᴀɪᴊō ᴀᴛᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ᴡᴇ’ʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴛ ʜᴏꜱᴛɪʟᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ... ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏɴɢ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴜɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ’ꜱ ꜱᴀꜰᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴋᴀʏ. ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴀꜱ ᴏᴋᴀʏ, ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ.**

She pressed her lips together, as she sent that. Really, at this point, she wanted nothing but to hug them all and get rid of the demons, that haunted their nights. She... wanted to know what it meant to be _safe_ , not having to look behind your back all the time. Was that too much to ask?

**ꜱᴇɪ: 4:09/ ɪ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀʏ. ʙᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴀꜰᴇʀ... ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ, ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀɴᴅ.**

She sighed. Sei and Tetsu had always been the voice of reason in their little group. Even with her... when she wanted to let her emitoons get better of her, they thought ahead in a way, that was reasonable and as gentle for all of them, as possible. This was indded the best way, even if it _hurt_.

**4:09/ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ɪ’ʟʟ ᴛʀʏ.**

**ꜱᴇɪ : 4:10/ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ, ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ. ... ɴᴏᴡ ʟᴇᴛ’ꜱ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ɴᴀᴘ, ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʙᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀʟ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏɴ ᴅᴀɪᴋɪ.**

**4:10/ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴍᴇ, ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.**

With a sigh, she put her phone down and slid under her covers again. For the first time in months, she was _not_ looking forward to morning at all.

* * *

When she woke at seven, she didn’t feel rested at all — her mind was still filled with the words she’d exchanged with Sei hours ago. Stealing a glance at her phone, she noticed, that unlike usually, no one was active now.

She sighed and hurried to get a shower and get dressed. Dai would wake in... fifteen minutes or so and by then, it would be best for her to be done in the bathroom or he’ll just get cranky. Or... _crankier,_ than he would be when waking up because she wasn’t an idiot. This situation was nerve-wracking for them both, perhaps even more for him.

Teikō hadn’t been easy for her... but due to the boys’ interference, she’d been shielded from most of the prodding and physical harm. (Which in turn, increased _their_ pain, she knew. Of course, they didn’t say anything, but she knew anyway.)

When she was awake enough from her shower and dressed too, she hurried over to her bag and checked for all, that she’d need, while they’ll be away. Toothbrush, clothes, charger... yes, yes, yes... it seemed she had everything.

Satisfied, she walked to Dai’s room and knocked. There was no answer. She sighed and opened the door, only to find him sleeping, still tangled in his dark sheets. (They hated white and they tried putting as much colour into their lives, as possible. _How_ Sei could wear Rakuzan’s jersey, when it was the same colour scheme as the Teikō one, she could not understand for dear life.)

She walked over and gently shook his shoulder. “Dai? Time to wake up,” she called. No answer. She frowned and tried again, this time a bit stronger. “Onī-san. Time to get out of bed.”

Fast like a snake, a tanned hand wrapped around her arm and she took a step back, as Dai’s dark eyes narrowed on her, fear and anger shining in them. “ _Daiki_. It’s me. You’re safe.”

His grip didn’t relent for half-a-minute... “T-tsuki.“ he murmured, “Gomen, Imōto,” he said, hand dropping beside him.

She took a breath to calm herself and sat on the edge of his bed. His face was smooth, but his dark blue eyes haunted. A nightmare —again. Without a word, she scooted closer and hugged him close. He returned the gesture without hesitation and they sat like that for a few minutes.

When she felt the tension slowly melting away, she detangled herself from his grip — he’d been holding her as if she’d disappear any moment. “Get a shower and get dressed. I’ll check your bag in the meanwhile before you forget something and then we can go and get breakfast.”

He grunted as she stood up. “Okay,” he murmured, tone strained.

* * *

Even on the was to school, Dai looked like he was ready to snap. She sighed, gently wrapping a hand around his wrist. “Relax, Onī-san. Remember? We have to be as natural about this, as possible. If they see how tense we are, the pretence is done for even before we start.“ she murmured.

Dai grunted, displeased. “To Hell with the pretence, Tsuki. I just want to see them and make sure they’re okay.”

She sighed. “I know. We’ll share a bus with Seirin since only the regulars come from all teams.“

“Which kind of covers all of Seirin, since their club is so small.“ he snorted.

She rolled her eyes. “Does that bother you?“

“No. Not as long as Tetsu’s there.“ he answered, tone cold and the words too fast. She threw him a nasty look.

“You’re _lying_ , Onī- _chan_ ,” she muttered sulkily. Dai hated when she called him with “-chan“ — something about his masculinity and that being improper, not that _he_ cared too much for propriety— and she kept that in mind, but it annoyed him still. So she stuck with calling him that, whenever he was lying to her.

Dai rolled his eyes. “Fine, it bothers me, _okay_ ? It bothers me Tetsu’s with a team so weak. Kagami Taiga is a _weakling_ . Tetsu’s _our_ brother. Tetsu’s **_my_ ** Shadow. Kagami’s light is way too weak to bring out Tetsu’s true potential and that bothers me. Hell, I bet their coach doesn’t pay him extra attention as Sei had. They _don’t even know_ how to train him properly!”

Momoi pressed her lips together and sighed. Apart of her wanted to say that Dai was suffering from _spending-time-with-Tetsu withdrawal_ ... but no. She could not say that wholeheartedly, because she knew he was _right_. Even by Teikō standards... Tetsu had been the odd one out of them, but it was that oddity, that made him fit so well into the team, no matter how strange that sounded.

“We’ll see him soon,” she said at last, but then fell quiet, as they neared the gates of Tōō.

“Ah, Momoi-chan.“ Imayoshi called cheerfully, “I see you made sure he won’t be late this time.”

She smiled a little. “For once, he would have been here on his own. We may not appreciate the company of the former team...“ — oh, a lie... what a lie!— “... but he certainly loves a challenge and the rest of the Kiseki are exactly that.”

Dai snorted, managing to look bored and holier-than-thou at the same time. (He — all of them, really—should get an award for acting. Perhaps, if she hadn’t been surrounded by basketbaka boys, she would have told them to join the Acting Club back at Teikō. That would have spared them so much pain.)

“The only one who’s a challenge now is Akashi. Midorima never played that way, neither did Murasakibara. Besides, I’m faster, than both. Kise can only copy me... _lamely_ at that and Tetsu... is Tetsu. As... useless, as ever.”

She noticed his hesitance when he called Tetsu useless, but it seemed Tōō’s Captain hadn’t. He seemed off-put from Dai’s words and that was okay. The more uncomfortable the team was around them, the fewer questions they asked. The silence was fine. Questions were dangerous.

Imayoshi sighed. “Fine, fine. Get on and find a seat. We’ll have to pick up Seirin.”

She stiffened at that and so did Dai. His dark blue eyes flashed to Imayoshi. “What did you just say?”

Imayoshi shrugged and smiled. “Only the First String comes from each school. And that means we’ll have enough space to fit two teams into one vehicle. So Seirin will be travelling with us. Aomine-kun, please refrain from killing anyone during the ride.”

Dai rolled his eyes. “Yea, yea whatever.” and then he walked towards the bus.

Momoi sighed and glanced at Imayoshi. “Gomen.“ she murmured and then hurried after her brother.

This will be a long ride, she could already tell. (No it won’t be, they just had to stop at Seirin and Teikō was still within Tokyo... although their lodgings will be in a nearby youth hostel, from what she knew. The only reason they took a private bus, was to make sure that everyone would be on time. It won’t be a long journey, but it will be longer, than what they could all handle.)

She sighed. Kami give her strength to deal with her brothers.

* * *

She almost saw the icicles forming on the windows, once Seirin started getting on the bus. The first she noticed was the heated glares Dai and Kagami exchanged, as the redhead passed their seat. The heated moment was frozen over —making her worry about icicles— the second Tetsu appeared.

Suddenly, Dai’s face was as blank as Tetsu’s, but she could tell both of them were struggling with the urge to hug each other and bump fists, like always.

“Tetsu.“ he called, tone low, eyes half-lidded, trying to seem bored and indifferent, while still appearing hostile in a detached way.

Tetsu’ jutted his chin out a bit, straightening to his full height, though his face remained blank. (Deep in his sky blue eyes, Momoi could see happiness and relief sparkling, as he saw they were okay.) “Daiki.”

Momoi shivered a little. She knew this was just pretence... but kami help her, that tone was exactly like Sei’s when the redhead was in a _dangerous_ mood. (Yes, her brothers definitely should get an award for acting.)

His blue eyes settled on her. “Momoi-san.“ she bit the inside of her cheek, to prevent herself from scolding him for using her surname. She nodded mutely, not trusting her skills to keep up appearances. Then, Tetsu passed their seat without a backwards glance and she slumped against Dai.

They shared a glance, as the rest of Seirin took their seats and the doors closed. This camp would be goddamn _long_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and share your opinion. Arigato :3  
> BTW, suggestions how long the training camp should be? One... or maybe two weeks?


	10. ᴀʀʀɪᴠᴀʟ — ᴍᴜʀᴀꜱᴀᴋɪʙᴀʀᴀ

**_ 8th July, Sunday _ **

_ His legs hurt from all the running he had done. He was tired and hungry, but training was not over yet. He bent over, trying to regain his breath, but then the “coach“ appeared. _

_ “Proceed with the training, Subject 008. I want to see your ball handling and scoring.“ the man told him. _

_ Murasakibara grunted, knowing that if he said no, the man might just hit him and he knew, that Sanada Naoto hit powerfully. He’d once broken Shi-chin’s nose... and that was something. He straightened up and took a ball from its place and started dribbling slowly, trying to get a feel of it. When he was sure he had a sure hand on it, he moved forwards, dribbling faster, passing the ball behind his back to catch it with his free hand and then back to his free hand again and then he jumped and dunked. _

_ The hoop groaned from the force of it, as he landed on his feet with a slight wince. Oh, that wasn’t good — it seemed Tet-chin was right and he hadn’t yet recovered from that knee injury a few weeks back, during the Prelims. _

_ Sanada looked at his watch and shook his head, eyes cold. “That is not quite the required speed. Again.“ _

_ Murasakibara retrieved his ball and walked away from the hoop, just a few paces. He did a few of the ball-handling exercises again before he dunked again. The metal groaned and he fell, as the screws let loose. The Center frowned, as he landed on his behind rather roughly. _

_ Even before he could stand up, Sanada was next to him and punched him. “You were supposed to do the exercise and  _ **_ not _ ** _ break the hoop. Damaging the equipment has consequences.“ he hissed coldly. _

_ “Sanada-san.“ a new voice called. It was female, although Murasakibara could not put a name to the face. It was a dark blue-haired woman with grey eyes. “We could not finish the testing.” _

_ Sanada nodded. “I’m aware.“ _

_ He moved forward. Murasakibara tried to avoid him, but the man caught his hand and cold metal clasped on his wrist. Then Sanada twisted his hand and Murasakibara grunted. He jerked back in instinct, only for Sanada to hit him in the stomach. _

_ He groaned, bending over, nausea rising in him, as the man cuffed both of his hands. “You can take him away.” the woman yanked at his clothes strongly for someone so petite and Murasakibara could only stumble along. They’d spent the end of the first year and the start of their second with resisting. But the more they resisted, the more pain and rodding came. _

_ They learned to keep their head down, not for themselves, but for the others. If he did something too harsh, he would get hit yes, but the bigger punishment would be inflicted on his teammates and he was sick form the mere thought. Tet-chin and Ta-chin were way too fragile... _

_ The woman shoved him into a room and Murasakibara stumbled.  _ **_ “Sit.“ _ ** _ she growled as if he were a disobedient dog. Head hung low, he sat on the white sheets of the bed. She grabbed a syringe, which had something blue in it and stepped closer to his bare arm. _

_ Seeing the glinting metal, his survival instincts flared up again, despite fearing for the others. He grabbed her wrist and she cried out. “Release me, Subject 008...!” he only tightened his hold and her other hand flew on top of his to remove it. To no avail, as his grip just got stronger and tighter... _

_ She released his hand and grabbed the syringe and stabbed his arm with it, releasing some of the contents into him, only for him to yank it off and shove her father away. She stumbled and fell against the desk and then onto the floor. He growled, towering over her. His arm hurt where she so carelessly slammed the needle. _

_ “It’s you who should stay down or I’ll crush you.“ he growled, bending down, as he stabbed her in the leg with the needle. She cried out and he released the leftover concoction into her, “Taste your own  _ **_ medicine _ ** _.“ he growled, wishing to ruin her, to crush her, to hurt her the way the monsters in white hurt him and his siblings... but before he could do anything else, three big men appeared in the room, attacking him. _

_ Soon, he was on the floor, bound and bruises already forming on his skin... _

“Murasakibara? Are you well? You haven’t been eating normally these days.”

The call of his name forced him to banish the dark imagines. Ever since he’d heard they were going back there, dark scenes plagued him day and night. (Although considering how often his phone screen lit up even in silent mode, the rest of his siblings were in no better condition.)

He glanced at the raven, hiding his fear and discomfort behind bored indifference. No one seemed to notice his complete lack of sleep this entire week. No one but Himuro it seemed... but perhaps that was, because he’d been eating less. Generally, he was addicted to the very thought of food — after stabbing that monster wearing a woman’s face, they starved him for a week and after they realised it worked all too well, they did it more often, careful not to  _ ruin  _ his body —, because it meant he was free. If he could it what he wanted and whenever he wanted...

... it meant  _ they  _ were not there to control his every step. To threaten him and his teammates  _ siblings _ .

He grunted, throwing a look at Himuro. “Fine. Just hurt my stomach in the weekend, so Nē-san told me to be careful what I eat for a bit.“ he said, turning away immediately.

“I see. Hope you’ll be better soon.“

Hm, it seemed it was still as easy to fool the people around him, as always. Everyone brought the lies — everyone, but the  _ Kiseki _ , although Sei-chin and Tet-chin were the best in noticing if something was wrong. Just as it was him and Sei-chin, who slept half-an-eye open, helping the others with nightmares. And it was Shi-chin, who made sure they were healthy and thinking clearly even, when they would have liked to let their emotions rule them and it was, oddly enough, Dai-chin, who listened to their troubles, like a big brother and tried his best to help. Ryō-chin was the one, who always lifted their mood and reminded them, that even they — monsters as they were— had each other and they would not leave one another behind.

He couldn’t wait to see them — it had been so, so long ago, that he’d seen them. He hoped Tet-chin and Ryō-chin ate enough and the wind hadn’t yet blown them away...

“We’re here.“ Himuro called, nudging his shoulder. Murasakibara nodded mutely, not trusting his voice.

He gathered his bag and got off the bus, following the Shooting Guard. As they got off in front of the building — a youth hostel near Teikō. The school was just a street away from here, so the place was familiar, although this was the exact opposite to the direction which he used to take to walk home.

“We were given leave to claim our rooms and we’ll meet at Teikō tomorrow morning at eight.“ their coach informed them.

Just as they moved towards the door, he spotted Rakuzan approaching as well. The other vehicles were already parked, so it seemed him and Sei-chin were the last ones to make it here with their teams.

Their eyes met, bored purple on intense gold-and-red. Murasakibara balled his fists strongly enough for his nails to bite into the skin of his palm. He had to stop himself from tackling his brother. Sei-chin had said the best would be for everyone to believe they were hostile towards each other.

“Atsushi.“ the redhead called, tone chilling.

Murasakibara shivered a bit — he knew it was just pretence, he could see it his Captain’s eyes... but the tone was still dreadfully close to the one Sei-chin used, when he was very, very displeased and wanted to trample someone.

He frowned a bit. “Aka-chin.“ he greeted, tone low and careful. Keep it as bored and detached, as possible, he told himself.

Sei-chin threw him one last look and strode towards the door, looking as regal and powerful, as always, Rakuzan trialling behind him quietly, like scared puppies. Murasakibara watched them go and took a bite of his maiobu, chewing slowly focusing on the flavour, to tamper down the urge to call out to the redhead and hug him. They had to pretend, Sei-chin had said and he trusted Sei-chin in such decisions without questions. Sei-chin and Tet-chin, especially if they worked something out together (which he was sure they did... regarding this pretence), were rarely wrong.

“That’s one hell of an intimidating guy... Seems dangerous.“

Murasakibara glanced towards the voice. It was the Vice-cap, Fukui. All of the team looked downright terrified. He knew they were scared of him... but if they were scared of him and downright terrified of Sei-chin when he was  _ relatively  _ calm... Murasakibara was sure they would drop dead the moment they saw a pissed Sei-chin or Tet-chin...

“Aka-chin  **_ is _ ** __ dangerous.“ he stated sharply, drawing Yōsen’s attention to himself. (Yes, the redhead was dangerous — but all seven of them were, in a way— but for entirely different reasons. He was dangerous, but not for reasons his team assumed.) He could feel the growing tension in his team, “Aka-chin is  _ good  _ at what he does... and whoever stands between him and what he wants... it does  _ not  _ end up well for them. Stay away from him, if you want to stay alive.“ he said and then slowly walked towards the steps, that led to the door.

* * *

Just seeing their hotel room made Murasakibara uneasy. It was a plain room with cream walls and furniture made of pale wood. There were three beds, so he would share a room with Himuro and Liu. He took the bed closest to the window and tossed his bag by the foot of it.

The damn room was too much like the ones in the lowest levels of Teikō. Had _they_ done this on purpose? Were they being intimidated?

Murasakibara took a breath, as he fell onto the bed. (At least the bad was better, than the ones inside the school. This one actually felt bearable enough to be used for sleeping.) _‘Keep calm. Everyone’s here and Sei-chin and Tet-chin would not have agreed to Nijimura-sempai’s plan if they weren’t sure we could get through it.‘_

He reached for his bag blindly and grabbed a bag of chips and shoved some into his mouth.

They’ll survive. It won’t take long. It won’t take long.

 _‘It’s just two weeks.‘_ he told himself, as he crunched on his snacks, _‘We’ve survived three years in there. This is just two weeks and with our new teams here, they wouldn’t dare to be as open about the prodding, as before.‘_

Still, the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach felt like a rock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah... not the best Murasakibara is always so hard to write....  
> Suggestion about training reigime (for the teams and the not-so-nice-ones for the Kiseki too) are welcome. I have a few ideas... but not many. Comments and constructive criticism are the caffeine of my soul :)


	11. ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ — ᴋɪꜱᴇ

_**9th July, Monday** _

_He blinked and he found himself in that detestable white, clean-smelling room, laying on the bed. He blinked to clear his vision and then he shut his eyes fast, as the strong light hit his eyes. He groaned, as he slowly sat up. He found, that he was attached to an IV, stripped from his shirt. His breath hitched, looking around. The room wasn’t too big, but it was empty and clean and full of things he guessed were present in hospitals. But this wasn’t supposed to be a hospital, but a school. Even if it were a hospital... it would have been a bad one..._

_“Ah, I see you’re awake, Kise-kun.”_

_Brown eyes snapped up, towards the voice and he found a man standing in front of him, dressed in a long, white lab coat. The man had messy dark blonde hair, grey-green eyes and rough features. He was even plainer and more unnoticeable than Tetsucchi... which was saying something. (At least Tetsucchi had those beautiful eyes and cute face, that made him look younger than he was.) This man was just purely plain and unremarkable._

_“Where are my teammates?” he demanded, anger and fear mixing in his tone. He hated these days of the month when they were forced apart... (Twice a month they would be forced apart for two or three days and those days the prodding and the tests were **worse** than any other day and more than once, Kise had feared he would not survive. And that same fear... fear for his teammates’ survival was also there.) _

_“They are busy.” was the simple, dismissive answer. The man placed a few pills next to him with a glass of water. “Swallow those,” he commanded._

_Kise pressed his lips together, gods knew what sort of drugs or pills were those. (The last ones he had taken messed up his metabolism and he could barely keep down food for a week and that was just a rather... tame side-effect.) He glared at the man. “Iie, I won’t.“ he scoffed at the IV too, briefly wondering what was inside. If it was something helpful or something to enhance his performance or..._

_“Swallow the pills, Kise Ryōta.” the man said, tone colder, eyes narrowing. They looked like odd, green-grey, soulless chips of ice._

_Kise reached for the glass and the man seemed satisfied at the motion. But instead of taking the pills, he poured the water on them and watched, as they slowly started to melt and dissolve from the liquid. Feeling momentarily daring and rebellious, he tore the tape from his arm and with a wince, yanked the IV’s needle from his arm, too. A drop of crimson fell on his pale skin._

_He leapt up, sprinting towards the door, uncaring of the fact, that he was half-naked. The man grabbed his arm roughly and yanked him backwards with such force, that Kise almost fell. He just barely stopped himself, but then the man stuck, making his skin numb. It was unexpected and powerful and since he was already unbalanced, he fell to the floor, colliding with the cold tiles roughly. The man kicked him and Kise groaned, curling in on himself, expecting more blows._

_“You will do as told, Subject 008.“ he hissed and even before Kise could hope to stand up, the man grabbed a syringe and loomed over him, only for a second, before he was all but stabbed with the cold needle in the neck._

_Kise screamed, trying to get away, but the man held him down, pinning his arms to the cold floor and putting all his weight on him. A minute later, the needle was gone and the man dragged him upwards, tossing him onto the bed. The action was forceful enough to leave him breathless for a second, his vision swimming. As he blinked to chase away the black spots, he noticed that the man was fastening his wrists to the bed._

_“You will stay here. The serum will take effect in a few hours and by the afternoon training session we can see the effects...”_

Kise could barely swallow the terrifyed scream, that threatened to tear his throat out. His nightclothes stuck to him uncomfortably and his breath was ragged, hands shaking from the terror coursing through his body as if it were blood.

He swallowed and gently padded the small nightstand by the headboard of the bed. Moriyama and Kasamatsu were both still asleep. He sighed — well, at least he hadn’t woken them or anyone else in the vicinity. That was a small victory, he guessed. He finally found his phone in the gloom of the room. He pressed the button and the screen lit up.

4:25

 _Oh fuck_ . It was way too early. He would need as much rest, as he could get, now that they were here at Teikō, but... he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep any more this morning. ~~When was the last time he slept without Teikō looming in his nightmares? He could no longer remember.~~

He peeled his covers off and slipped out of bed, as quietly as he could. He headed towards the shared area, where they would most likely have breakfast, once everyone was awake. But for now... that didn’t matter. He just needed a drink. Then maybe... he could at least try to relax in bed, if not sleep.

He found a cup and got himself water when he sensed the approach of someone. It was always Seicchi, Daicchi and Tetsucchi, who noticed these sort of things — they had abilities like this and they had been trained to notice and react to these sort of things, on and outside of court...— but now, in the eerie silence of dawn, he noticed too.

He whirled on his heels, muscles tensed and eyes narrowed... and noticed that it was his tsundere brother. He gave a small wave as a wordless greeting, as the Shooting Guard slowly walked up to him.

“Shinicchi?“ he asked in a whisper. Shin took a cup and poured himself some water as well.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed still, Ryō?“ he asked quietly, as he took a sip.

Kise downed his water in one go. “I could ask the same thing.“ he shot back without any sharpness. He was just too weary and stressed even for joking and poking.

“Hadn’t slept much.“ Midorima murmured. “And if the amount of messages in our app is any indication... the others had an equally shitty night, like us.”

The blonde washed his cup and let it dry, washing off some of the sweat from his hands, before cutting off the cold water. “Nightmare.“ he murmured. “And... I’m kinda not surprised. But it’s also worrisome.”

“You seem on edge... even considering the situation.“ he said, fixing his askew glasses. “Had you taken your medicine?“

Kise frowned. “I just bolted up from sleep, Shinicchi.“ he grunted, “Not yet. But I’ll take them before breakfast, promise. Hell, we still have an hour or maybe two to sleep... but...I don’t think I’ll be able to.”

Shin sighed, as their eyes met. He inched closer and hugged the other, gently. When Shin’s arms wrapped loosely around him, Kise burrowed himself even closer. “I missed you, Shinicchi.”

“I missed you too. It’s reassuring to see you. I met Tetsu, Dai and Tsuki on the way here. They seemed physically fine too, which is a relief.“

The blonde sighed into the other’s nightshirt. “Good to hear.” he reluctantly detangled himself and taking a step back.

“We should go back, before our roommates notice we’re missing, no matter how unlikely that is.“

“I know, Shin. Try relaxing a bit.“ he murmured, as he turned towards his room again.

“You too, Ryō.“

Feeling just a little bit better, Kise sneaked back into his room and slipped under his covers. Recalling Tetsucchi’s lessons about the breathing exercises, he tried doing some of them and allowed sleep to take him. It would not be long before they had to get up and face the day, but perhaps he could at least try to get ready...

* * *

Breakfast was tense and silent.

Everyone was awake and dressed for training, but there was no friendly chatter by the table, as it might have happened if everyone had gone out to eat with just their teams.

Kise noticed that all of them —for the sake of appearances,— tried to squeeze as many teammates between themselves, as possible. Only Dai and Tsuki sat next to one another. Their coaches ate by another, smaller table, but Kise could feel their gazes trailed on the entire group. The five adults, plus Aida-san kept an extra sharp eye on them as if they expected the room to blow up.

The whole place felt like a barrel filled with gunpowder and the fuse about to be lit by the smallest spark, ready to send the whole building flying.

There had been no greetings, as it would have been usual, mere looks were thrown around, all of them way too afraid to break their roles. But, just for extra, unnerving measures, Seicchi kept staring at Tetsucchi and from time to time, Tetsucchi caught the mismatched gaze and stared back.

There was a silent conversation going on between the official and unofficial leaders of the Miragen, Kise could tell. A conversation between leaders. A conversation between mentor and protégé. A conversation between brothers, who were so similar in certain aspects, that they could have passed for twins. (Well, _if_ the Miragen had been an actual family, Kise thought... then perhaps Seicchi and Tetsucchi could have passed for twins, who shared little in appearance, save for height.)

There was a silent conversation between them, that much Kise could see. _What_ that was, he had no idea. What he knew, that it added to the already big tension in the room and Kise couldn’t help, but fidget. He knew his two brothers enough, to know that such silent conversations _never_ meant anything good.

“Oi, Kise... what’s with them?“ Kobori asked quietly, throwing a look towards Seicchi and Tetsucchi.

Kise turned his gaze away, frowning at his teammate. “Nothing. It’s just... Kurokocchi was never the one to bend to rules and that didn’t sit well with Akashicchi at the time. The worst of it was because Akashicchi risked a lot by bringing Kurokocchi onto the team and then teaching him his playstyle and after all that... Kurokocchi kept going against Akashicchi.” he said with a frown... lying through his teeth.

True, Tetsucchi was the only one, who could resist Seicchi even in his worst moments... but never once had the teal disobeyed their Captain in dire situations. True, it was Tetsucchi, who questioned the redhead the most... but that somehow always ended up with the two of them coming up with an _even better_ solution, on and off-court alike. Mentor and protégé indeed. (It was so frequent, that between them all, it was something unspoken... but it was Tetsucchi, who led them. Officially Shinicchi had been the Vice-cap, but never once had the Shooting Guard acted as one, in dire situations. It was Tetsucchi, who got hold of the reins, if by some misfortune, Seicchi wasn’t around.)

He threw a (fake) displeased look at the Phantom, which the teal noticed and stared back at him for an entire minute, face completely blank. Kise’s eyes narrowed further and then he looked away, turning to his plate instead.

“The guy’s blankness still gives me creeps.“ Nakamura muttered and then hurriedly turned away.

* * *

The short walk from their accommodations toTeikō was even worse. He was sure, that by now, the tension was so big, that if someone bothered, they could have cut the air with a knife. Of course, no one showed signs of it. Kise himself did his best to do the breathing exercises unnoticed, going through each step in his mind, before he got an anxiety attack.

When he stepped through Teikō’s gates, onto school grounds, he felt like someone had knocked every drop of oxygen from his lungs. _‘Keep calm. You have to keep calm.‘_ he told himself.

**ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ, ᴄᴀʟᴍ ᴠɪꜱᴀɢᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀʜᴀᴘꜱ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴀᴄʜᴇꜱ, ɪɴ ᴀ ꜱᴇɴꜱᴇ, ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ ʀᴜʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ, ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡᴇ ʀᴜʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀʟʟ ꜱɪx ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴄᴀʟᴍ... ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴅᴅ ᴀ ᴅʀᴏᴘ ᴏꜰ ᴀʀʀᴏɢᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏɴᴄʜᴀʟʟᴀɴᴄᴇ. ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴇᴀʀ.**

That had been Seicchi’s message in the morning, sneaked into their app. As always, the redhead had noticed their tension from the day before. Or perhaps he left it because _he_ was feeling the pressure. And it was a well-known fact, that out of them all, Shinicchi, Seicchi and Tetsucchi handled the pressure the best. Oh, they were not _immune_ to it by any means... but they needed a bit more to crack. Kise wasn’t ashamed in admitting that.

Shinicchi, Seicchi and Tetsucchi could read and anticipate people very well and they knew the workings of others’ minds, or at least could read their intentions better, than most. Oh, Shin insisted he wasn’t that good... but he had to have something because the calmness he showed when shooting those threes... Shinicchi wasn’t an idiot. He knew the mental consequences on the opponent when they watched him shoot a three from half-court, not even watching as the ball fell through the hoop. The full-court shot was even worse — mentally, to the other team.

Of course... psychological warfare was one thing they’d been taught here. Kise wasn’t an idiot. The way Tetsucchi was capable of disappearing, the way Atsucchi towered over everyone with that bored, but _cold_ look, Daicchi’s speed, Seicchi’s mere presence... _his_ copies. All of them mentally damaging for the opponent. Sometimes, he recalled, it hadn’t even been the game itself, that decided, who won, but the mentality. And it was what Teikō broke — Teikō broke others mentally to attain their goals. And the Kiseki were the tools to attain that victory and when they started to rebel against the idea, Teikō slammed down on the seven of _them_ with an iron fist.

 _Oh shit._ And they were _coming here_.

Kaijō were good and strong... but they would not survive, he knew that. He doubted any of the teams would survive Teikō, as they were. Even these two weeks could break them and that was something he didn’t want.

Teikō was interested in them — in the _Kiseki_ — not their teams... and it would be best if it stayed that way. He stole a glance from the corner of his eye at Daicchi and Satsucchi. Understanding passed between them in a millisecond. They were thinking along the same lines as him. He noticed the way Satsucchi threw a look at Seicchi, while Daicchi turned to Shinicchi. Shinicchi threw a look at Atsucchi, while Seicchi warned Tetsucchi.

Teikō was interested in _them_ and not in their teams. Best keep it that way, no matter the price. Their teams didn’t need to see what lay beneath the shiny surface of the elite school.

Seicchi expertly glided through the corridors, taking lead as always. The coaches walked next to the Captains — or in Rakuzan’s case, the coach walked next to the Vice-cap,— and they headed for the First String gym. Kise hated this place, but discreetly, he manoeuvred to the front. Kasamatsu gave him a disapproving glance, but he just threw the other a charming smile.

Teikō _will not_ touch his team. He would make sure of it.

They poured into the gym silently, although a few of their teammates were whispering among themselves. He noticed, that Kagami tried striking up a conversation with Tetsucchi, only for the Phantom to give his new partner such a look, that made the American wilt like a flower and fall quiet. Kise swallowed, as he noticed the white walls and the familiar court — polished and spotless like always... always shiny, so the sweat and the blood would not stain the wood.

“Welcome to Teikō Chūgakkō.“ a familiar voice called.

Kise’s eyes snapped up — he had hoped never to see those men, but there they stood, composed and healthy, as always. Oh... how much he wished Tetsucchi and Seicchi could gut them. Hell, at this point, even _he_ was willing to get his hands bloody and gut them... someone just had to give him a pair of scissors, but if Seicchi wanted to use scissors... Kise wasn’t greedy. A pair of chopsticks would do as well — he was pretty sure, that given enough time, he _could_ kill with chopsticks if they were pointy enough.

“It’s a great pleasure that all the schools have accepted our invitation for these two weeks, but it’s an even greater pleasure to see our former students among you.“ Kise’s skin prickled at the false sweetness of Sanada’s voice, as the man’s brown gaze found them one by one, standing at the front of each group.

Sanada Naoto was the Devil in human form. (Rakuzan called Seicchi the Devil... but they were very, very wrong. Seicchi was gentle mostly, he just... well, he was the tough love kind of guy, when it came to basketball. Otherwise, he was a mother hen, _not_ a demon.)

“Returning here is like coming home, kantoku.“ was Tetsucchi’s deadpan answer, but beneath the blank tone, Kise sensed the bottomless pit of poison, into which the Phantom wanted to drown the men.

“That’s a relief to hear, Kuroko-kun.“ Sanada said with a small nod.

“Due to the great numbers, the first few things we will be doing to get you used to our routines, there will be two groups. Three teams in this gym and the other three would be going with my colleague, Matsuoka, to the other one, if that is alright.“

Here Sanada looked at their current coaches, who all nodded. “I see no problem with that.“ Takeuchi kantoku said and Kise wished the man had remained quiet. Sanada turned his gaze in Kaijō’s direction and he had barely stopped a dreadful shiver.

“In that case,“ Matsuoka Daigo siad, “Seirin, Yōsen and Kaijō... please follow me.”

“Is there any pattern to how the teams are split?“ Yōsen’s coach asked curiously, as she waved at her team. Matsuoka shook his head at the woman.

“Just random. The point is not only to help improve but maybe to help form new bonds,” he answered, as he started walking again and they followed.

Kise snorted inwardly. _‘New bonds my ass! You were all about victory and tried turning the seven of us against one another, to see which of us was the “most successful“ experiment!‘_

He didn’t say that, though, instead swallowed deeply and walked out, glaring daggers at Matsuoka’s back, hoping the man would crumple to the ground dead. Sadly, he was still alive by the time they reached the Second String gym.

“The Hell?“ Moriyama choked, “It’s _huge!_ How many of these are here?”

“Three.“ Kise said before Matsuoka could, “One for each String. We — the Strings, I mean— trained separately. We even had separate coaches, Sanada kantoku was the First String coach and when the Head Coach retired, he became the Head Coach. Matsuoka-kantoku here, supervised — supervises?— the Third String. But that’s just the Basketball Club, of course. There were other sports too...“ he shrugged.

“But Basketball had always been the main focus of the school since it’s founding. We do hope to give high-quality education and training in all fields, but Basketball is Teikō’s main sport.” Matsuoka finished, throwing him a look. “And I’m still supervising our Third String, Kise-kun. But I’m sure you know that’s all just because of the Club’s great numbers, otherwise, the four coaches and the Club management do their best to work as one.”

Kise gave a thin smile, as the man said his name and nodded. It seemed, nothing had changed here, since they’d been freed from this Hell.

“First, I would like you all to spread out and do some stretches to warm up. I have the menu for the day and we’ll go through it gradually. The numbers are set for Teikō students, but you may stop whenever you feel it is necessary. But to avoid further chaos, you will not join the exercise further. Instead, you’ll sit it out until the very last person finishes or calls finished. Then, after a five-minute break, to allow the last ones to rest as well, we will proceed. Is that clear?“

There was a chorus of _yes_ es and they spread out, finding themselves a spot to stretch. Kise carefully situated himself as far from everyone as possible, but Atsucchi and Tetsucchi still ended up pretty close to him. They threw dark looks at one another for extra measure, before they proceeded with the exercises.

Matsuoka glided over to them nonchalantly, but Kise’s instincts prickled screaming _danger_. He balled his hands, letting his nails cut into his palm and the sudden, sharp physical pain helped clear his mind a bit.

“I’m watching.“ the man called softly, looking at them each, “Fail in the exercise... and you know the consequences.”

* * *

Just the stretches and the warm-up running was enough to make some people complain. Kise didn’t even twitch. This was a relatively light start.

When they were done, balls were distributed among them and Matsuoka looked at the group. “This will be a fairly simple ball-handling and passing exercise, which you will have to do thirty times. Since you need pairs for it, one time will be, when the ball returns to the person, who first held it. Is it clear?“

Everyone nodded. Matsuoka gave him a look. “Kise-kun, Kuroko-kun... since you are both familiar with it, would you demonstrate for the teams?”

The gym fell deathly quiet and even the dust seemed to freeze in the air, once those words left the man’s mouth. The tension skyrocketed as they looked at one another. He frowned at the tealette, but nodded at the man anyway, trying to lighten his expression. “We wouldn’t mind, Kantoku.”

Kise dropped his ball and they parted from their teams and walked to a spot where everyone could see them. They stopped about two meters from each other and Tetsucchi started dribbling in his right hand, slowly. Then he increased the speed and guided the ball behind his back catching it with his left hand and passing it. Kise winced just a little at the force of the pass, but caught the ball with one hand and dribbled the same way, before passing it back. Tetsucchi caught it without a blink with one hand.

“That was one round.“ Tetsucchi spoke looking at the teams, “It’s as much a ball-handling exercise, as much coordinating one. You have to start dribbling in one hand and then switch hands before you toss. The partner catches with one hand, dribbles and tosses with the other. You catch with the hand, that you used to toss and dribble. Then, you will have to use the hand, that you used before to dribble, to toss.”

“Eh... but that’s...” someone from Seirin murmured, “That’s pretty hard... not to mention you have to pay attention to the ball and which hand you used. And...“

“That’s the point, Furihata-kun.“ Tetsuuchi said, looking at his teammate, “And there’s always a hand, that’s clumsier in handling a ball. Another point of the exercise is to help develop a sort of dexterity. And it also helps you give more strength to passes.”

Low mutters of understanding went through the teams. “Murasakibara-kun, would you join your teammates here?“ Matsuoka called, gesturing at him and Tetsucchi. “I believe you three could go trough your old routines. The number seems uneven and the three of you are used to the exercise. The others may need some time to familiarise themselves with it.”

The temperature in the gym dropped another few degrees, but Atsucchi nodded anyway and lazily sauntered over. Matsuoka gave the thee of them a look before walking away. The man hadn’t said a word, but Kise could hear his voice anyway.

_You know the consequences of failure._

He hated Teikō.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... done! As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think! We get a glimpse on the other three teams in the next chap.


	12. ᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ ɪɪ — ᴍɪʙᴜᴄʜɪ

_**9th July, Monday** _

_ They were going to **die**. _

That was the first thing that flashed into Mibuchi’s mind the moment it was just the three teams inside the First String gym.

Sei-chan was radiating bloodlust. (Okay,  _ that _ wasn’t so unusual. Sei-chan was, 95% of times, a bloodthirsty tyrant, who enjoyed watching them suffer through every training session, their pleadings falling on deaf ears... and the more they pleaded, the likelier it was he would double whatever exercise they were doing.)

But still — Sei-chan looked like a starved beast, who wanted to  _ bathe _ in blood. The worse thing was, that the other two  _ Kiseki _ —Aomine and Midorima if he remembered correctly,— looked just as bloodthirsty. He was sure, that the smallest of syllables would be enough to make the three pounce at one another, to try tearing each other apart.

Not good. If this continued through the two weeks, they were going to die. Hell, at this rate they mightn’t even survive the day.

“Is it just me or do you feel like we’re going to die, Reo-nē?” Hayama asked, leaning closer, his green eyes trailed on the three  _ Kiseki _ , who were staring at one another.

“Iie.“ he admitted with a soft shake of his head, “We’re dead. Back home, Sei-chan seemed  _ tame _ ...“

They did the warm-ups and Reo noticed that Tōō and Shūtoku were already starting to show signs of weariness. Reo himself wasn’t exactly comfortable... but Sei-chan was always tough and thorough in training. If things didn’t get worse, they’d survive.

“Boys, please find a partner for the exercise.“ Sanada-san said, looking at them. His eyes landed on the two  _ Kiseki _ not far away. “Akashi-kun, Aomine-kun, would you demonstrate the exercise for the teams?“

Tōō’s Power Forward grunted and sneered at Sei-chan. (Hell, did the arrogant bastard want to  _ die _ ?! If he wasn’t going to rein in his tendencies, Mibuchi would personally hang him from a hoop, just to make sure he wouldn’t aggravate Sei-chan any further.  _ They _ had to live with the redhead’s training daily, once this stupid camp was over, thank you very much. And if Sei-chan left this place to irritate, Rakuzan Kōkō won’t have a Basketball Club, because Sei-chan’s training will kill them...) Sanada-san was either ignoring the blatant hostility between the three Kiseki, or the man was plain blind...

“Of course, kantoku.“ Sei-chan answered, his tone low, regal and sweet. Mibuchi swallowed hard. That tone meant someone was going to die today.

Sei-chan and Aomine walked a bit farther from the rest and demonstrated the exercise with great speed and fluency. It was all about speed and attention and apparently about helping one develop a certain level of dexterity.

Mibuchi grabbed a ball and waved at Hayama. The blonde bounced over to him and his eyes narrowed. “Keep it down, please. Sei-chan’s dangerous enough anyway. Don’t make a scene in front of an ex-coach of his, or you’ll be coming back to Kyoto in a freaking urn and you know it.”

The blonde shivered and nodded hurriedly. “I know, Reo-nē.”

Mibuchi took a breath and started dribbling. Kami, please be merciful. He hadn’t said goodbye to his family... (He had naively assumed it will be like a vacation. He should have known better. Nothing was like a vacation, where Sei-chan  _ and _ basketball were involved. The presence of the redhead’s former teammates didn’t help much either — in fact, it just made dying during the two weeks even likelier.)

Damn it all.

* * *

When they were done with the exercise, Sanada-san guided them outside to a big field at the back of the building. It seemed, the place was used for running, but there were lines drawn, that made no sense to him.

It was Sei-chan, who stepped forward, looking at them. His mismatched gaze flickered to the side and his eyes narrowed. Mibuchi didn’t even have to look at the side, to know that the other three teams have arrived as well. Seirin lined up on their free side, while Yōsen and Kaijō stopped next to Shūtoku, as Tōō stood between them and the orange-wearing team.

He stole glances at the newly arrived Kiseki members. Their faces were passive, but their eyes were dark. Mibuchi admitted — to himself at least,— that Seirin’s Phantom almost gave him a heart attack.  _ The Hell! _ The teal had an even lower presence than Mayu-chan, damn it!

Sei-chan’s gaze swept the teams and when he was sure everyone had arrived, he made a gesture at the field. “The field behind me is the exact size of a basketball court and the lines there is the same distance, as the lines on a court. The exercise is simple but time-consuming. You have to run from the starting point to the first line and then back to the start. The second time you run till the second line and back. One round is when you reached the end of the field and made it back to the starting point. Is that clear?”

A chorus of agreements ran trough the teams and Sei-chan nodded, making a gesture again. The five  _ Kiseki _ moved as one —as if dragged on ropes, which was creepy even to think of— and they walked to the starting point. (A part of him was surprised, that they still followed the redhead as if he were  _ their _ Captain... another part whispered, that the Kiseki knew Sei-chan and his murderous tendencies just fine and had a good survival instinct and thus, they did not, under  _ any _ circumstance, disobey him. If Sei-chan had used the word  _ absolute _ just once around his former team... well, said team would know the consequences of saying no and they would just bend to the redhead, rather than die painfully.)

“We’ll demonstrate how it should be done.“ Sei-chan said, taking his spot next to the teal from Seirin, “Another thing.“ he called suddenly.

Mibuchi found himself leaning forward, his attention glued on the redhead. If they messed up something when Sei-chan was stressed (because he  _ wasn’t _ blind, he could see that the redhead was very,  _ very _ stressed), that had not-so-nice consequences... and if possible, Mibuchi would rather  _ not _ see the scissors the redhead was so fond of, anytime soon.

“You have to run faster with every turn. So you do the there-and-back distance to the first line the slowest and the full court run at the end the fastest. And when you start the exercise again from the very beginning, you start it slow again.”

That didn’t sound too hard. It sounded like a combined speed/stamina exercise.

“Uh, Captain?“ Hayama called out.

The redhead looked at them with an arched eyebrow. “What is is, Kōtaro?“

“How many rounds are there?“ he asked, head tilted to the side.

“We usually did twenty.“ Sei-chan stated matter-of-factly, “Sanada kantoku asked me to make sure that all teams did at least ten, but if you can manage more, that’s better.“

Reo shivered.

They did  _ twenty _ ?! How the hell would they survive that? The teal and the blonde looked like they’d collapse  _ dead _ after ten... (And from what he heard from Tōō, Aomine Daiki didn’t give a rat’s ass about training, so he shouldn’t be able to do more, than about thirteen, either.) Heck, twenty might kill even Sei-chan and that was saying  _ something _ ...

He shivered again. What the hell was Teikō? This sounded more like a goddamn military training and not basketball... (And it was just Monday...) If not the bloodthirsty tension between the  _ Kiseki _ ... than the training will kill them. (At this point, he was willing to make a bet, that the first one to pounce on someone would be Aomine or perhaps the blonde...)

_ ‘Maybe I should send a message to my family and write my will tonight? It sounds like we might die here...‘ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and share your thoughts. Constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome :3  
> Arigato


	13. “ꜱᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇ ʀᴜɴ“ — ᴀᴋᴀꜱʜɪ

_**9th July, Monday** _

Did he ever mention how much he _hated_ Teikō? If not, well...

He would have liked to shout it out for the world to hear. He despised Teikō Chūgakkō and everything the damn “school” stood for. The other teams had lined up as well and started doing the exercise. By the fifth round, several people from several teams looked ready to die. 

“Move along! _Ten_ rounds were given. Anyone who slacks off, will have to do _twenty_ with _us_ and on the top of it, I will tell your respective coaches about not taking your positions on the team seriously.“ he warned sharply.

“You’re not _our_ Cap...“

In a blink, Akashi was in front of the other redhead, staring at him and a moment later, the Power Forward was on his knees.

 _**There, where you should be, grovelling at our feet,** _ his other self hissed. _**We’re absolute and weaklings like you, who can’t even bring out Tetsuya’s full potential shall never stand a chance~** _

He leaned closer, eyes narrowing. “I’m _absolute_ , Kagami Taiga.“ he hissed softly, poisonously, “Do _not_ dare to disobey me or I _will_ make sure you regret it and no amount of pleading from Tetsuya will save you from a slow, painful death.”

_**Why does Tetsuya even bother with a weakling like him? He should die.** _

_‘He may be weaker, than what would be ideal for Tetsuya, but killing him won’t solve anything.‘_ Akashi shot back at his other self.

_**Won’t solve, you say? If this pest were gone, Tetsuya would join Daiki or us. Ryōta at worst... which is still better, than staying with Seirin.** _

_‘Staying separated is currently safer. Safer, until Nijimura-sempai can’t do something.‘_ he insisted and then focused on the outside world again. Colour and sound rushed back to him in a blink, Taiga trembling a bit before him. It was just little, very little and only one hand touched the taller male’s shoulder... but even like that, he could feel the tiny tremors going trough the American’s body.

Taiga swallowed hard, looking at him in fear. He was trying to resist, but Akashi would not let him stand until they were done. Taiga’s stupidity will not endanger Tetsuya, while they were here. He will not allow it.

“Now, on your feet and _move_. Weakness isn't allowed in Teikō. For these two weeks, you're a student of Teikō, not Seirin.“ he growled, “And for extra measures... the rounds you slack off, will be added to all your team’s. Understood?”

The redhead looked at him mutely.

Akashi added just a bit of pressure to his touch, eyes narrowing further. “I have not heard your answer. Am I _understood_?”

Taiga swallowed. “U-understood, A-Akashi.”

“On your feet and move, then. Delay the exercise any further and that will mean even more training.“ he warned, as he turned to do another round.

He reached the “half-court line” and took a deep, calming breath, as he turned to run back to the start.

He had to relax, just a bit. Somehow. As tempting as it was, he could not kill anyone. Not another player and sadly, certainly not one of the Teikō higher-ups. Nijimura-sempai had a plan. The other was a man of his word, he knew that. Nijimura had told Daiki, that Teikō would be over soon. That no other student would have to go through, what they had survived.

Akashi had to believe it was true and that whatever Nijimura had in mind, would work. He had to believe. He had to stay strong. Weakness is not tolerated. For his teammates, because without him here, Rakuzan would die and his siblings too. He had to keep their hopes up. He had to be strong for them. He was the Captain and he had to lead and protect them.

He closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again. Focus on breathing.

Focus on completing the exercise. Round after round. No stopping. If they stopped... _no_ Feet on the ground, soft steady beat... breathing even. Increase speed, watch your steps, watch your breathing. Count the lines. Keep an eye on the others. No slacking. No weakness. No failure.

Failure meant pain and he wanted to spare them that pain. Do _not_ stop.

They were about to turn and do the seventh round, when he noticed, that both Tetsuya and Ryōta were starting to show signs of real fatigue. _Shit_. He almost forgot, that their stamina was lower than his or Daiki’s. He gently jabbed his Phantom player in the side. Daiki was already — discreetly— dealing with Ryōta.

“You can’t stop, Tetsuya. We’ve _not_ done yet.“ he said, eyes narrowing.

The Phantom groaned, looking at him with a painful glint in his eyes. Even without words, he knew the Phantom was pleading with him for a break. “Akash—” his sentence was cut off, as he bent over and turned away.

Akashi frowned inwardly and watched him struggle for breath and trying not to throw up. He wanted to bend down, hug him and tuck him into bed because this was the Phantom’s limit. Or at least, he was close to it and that was not good. But _they_ were watching, of that he was sure. Their teams didn’t know, couldn’t know... could not sense. But Akashi knew they were watching.

That was the only reason why he didn’t help the teal. Why he didn’t shove him to the sidelines with a bottle of water. They had appearances to keep up.

“Come on, Tetsuya. We’re _not_ done yet. No slacking off.“ he warned darkly.

Eyes shifted to them and several exhausted, dying people raised their heads, to look their way. He could sense the anger from Seirin, but they did not have the energy to move, nor would they dare to go against him, after that scene with Taiga.

“You know the consequences.“ he spoke softly so that only the teal would hear that part.

Tetsuya took a breath and stood upright once more. “Gomen, Captain. We may continue.”

He nudged the teal none-too-gently and they stood by the starting line again. “Three more rounds to go.“ he reminded the Phantom, “Keep in step with me or...”

Tetsuya swallowed and nodded mutely. Meanwhile, the others were slowly finishing, although Ryōta himself looked ready to die right there. (Who was he kidding? This was exhausting even for _him_.)

They started running again and he threw constant glances at the teal, just to make sure he was right beside him. Akashi swallowed and focused his gaze ahead. _‘Forgive me, brother. You know I’m doing this for our survival.‘_

* * *

Suicide run.

The freaking exercise was most aptly named, Akashi decided. By the time they were done, it was two in the afternoon and no one seemed to be capable of staying upright. Tetsuya and Ryōta were bent over, breathing harshly and even from this distance, he could see the slight shaking of their legs. Shintarō was leaning against the wall of the building, just a notch better, than the other two, along with Atsushi.

Only himself and Daiki were upright, but the Power Forward made no attempts to remove Satsuki’s helping hand, which was proof of his lack of energy. Satsuki was just looking at them with helpless sorrow in her eyes and Akashi wished he could hug her and tell her they would be okay... but he was not so sure about them being okay...

“Are we done for today, Captain?“ Kōtaro asked, his voice a soft drawl, almost as if a dead person was speaking. (Although he was aware, that normally dead do not speak... the blonde was perfectly imitating a corpse.)

His eyes shifted to Rakuazan. Yōsen, Seirin and Kaijō managed the required ten rounds (a few individuals managing eleven) before falling out. Shūtoku and Tōō managed twelve to thirteen and Rakuzan, due to his training, managed fifteen. He was proud of them.

“Yes we are.“ he stated as neutrally, as possible. Then his eyes settled on the scattered _Kiseki_ , one by one. “ _Kiseki_ , we have a two-hour break. Sanada-kantoku expects us in the Third String gym by four. Do _**not** _be late.”

They all looked tired and their eyes dead. Akashi felt like dying himself, just by watching his siblings suffer. “Understood, Captain.“ they muttered quietly.

“Ne... why are you coming back, Sei-chan?“ Reo drawled, looking at him curiously.

“For training, of course. From second year our training has been split in two, with a two-hour break. Kantoku wants to see how much we changed since we left, so we’re doing our old training routine from our third year.”

He could feel the sharp, curious, concerned and disbelieving gazes of the teams. He composed himself and walked away, back straight.

 _**Do not dare to question us,** _ his other self hissed, leering at the outside world.

Akashi swallowed. _‘Do not question me, when I’m just trying to make sure my siblings survive long enough for Nijimura to arrive.‘_ he whispered in his mind softly, thinking of the looks the teams had sent his way, praying to all the kami he could name, to make their sempai hurry up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and share your opinion :3 Comments are the caffeine of my soul!  
> Training tips for the teams and the not-so-nice ones for the Kiseki are still welcome :)


	14. ᴇxᴛʀᴀ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ — ᴀᴏᴍɪɴᴇ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, the usual WARNINGS apply: Human Experimentation, Abuse, Mental Manipulation and all that... this might be a bit dark, so read cautiously, I guess?

**_9th July, Monday_ **

Aomine could not bring himself to stand from his bed.

Their two-hour break would soon be over, but he could not bring himself to move. He was staying in a room with Imayoshi and Sakurai — Satsuki was staying with Seirin’s and Yōsen’s coaches, as the three of them were the only women present. (Or at least, the women their teams knew of. There was plenty of the fairer sex among Teikō’s... devils.)

“Don’t you have some training to do, Aomine-kun?“ Imayoshi asked carefully, eyeing him as if he could not decide if the training was a good idea or not. (It was not. Anything and everything was better, than the Hell of a routine Teikō called training.)

Aomine grunted. “Piss off, Imayoshi. I’m dead on my feet...“ he was cut off by a soft knock on the door.

“Enter!” Imayoshi called, his eyes flickering away from him, for which Aomine was grateful. He hated the way Imayoshi scrutinised him because it felt like Sei or Tetsu... as if he could be picked apart, by that sharp gaze.

Aomine shifted, wondering which of his brothers came to drag him out of bed this time. If it was Ryō or Shin, he could just kick them out... the door opened, cutting off his thoughts and Tetsu entered.

“Forgive me for intruding, Imayoshi-kun. I came to make sure Aomine-kun won’t be late.“

Aomine shifted looking at his partner and brother. The one, who was closest in his heart. (Okay, Satsuki and Ryō were close too... but the way he’d worked together with Tetsu on-court... made their bond _special_.)

Tetsu’s eyes found him and he made a subtle gesture at the door. “Please get out of bed. We have to go before we’re late.”

Aomine frowned. “I don’t want...”

Light blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “You have two minutes to get out of bed, _Daiki_ or I’ll be forced to use drastic measures. I do not wish for Akashi-kun and Sanada-kantoku to be displeased with us because of your laziness.”

He swallowed hard. Shit... he had almost forgotten, that a pissed of Tetsu was as much of a health hazard, like a pissed off Sei. He stood up, holding his hands up in surrender. “Kami... _chill_ , Tetsu. I’m coming.“ he murmured and slipped his feet into the shoes. Tetsu gave him one last “cold“ — ah, maybe they were all too good at this pretence?— look and with a nod to Imayoshi, he turned out of the room.

“Ah... you never said Kuroko-kun could be so... _intimidating_.“ Imayoshi remarked, with some surprise and mirth in his tone.

Aomine snorted. “Hell, he can be. A second Akashi, if you ask me. But unlike Akashi, who tosses razor-sharp scissors when he’s pissed... Tetsu can literally use _anything_ to kill you. There was a reason he was our Vice-cap.“ he stood up.

“Sorry... but I-I thought it was, Midorima-kun?“ Sakurai asked.

“Officially.“ he grunted, as he stood up, “Unofficially, if it wasn’t Akashi, then Tetsu was the playmaker and... he doesn’t look like it, but Tetsu _can_ turn people into a sobbing mess, pleading for their life. He learned from Akashi, after all.“ he murmured and before any of the two could ask anything else, or otherwise react to his statement, he left the room.

He found Tetsu leaning against the wall and his Shadow threw him an amused glance. “Don’t spread mean rumours about me.“ he said in a low tone.

Aomine snorted. “It’s the truth and we both know it. You _did_ stab Haizki’s hand, after all.“ he murmured, recalling...

... _that_ day. The day when the blasted Haizaki _dared_ touching Tsuki. (If he ever saw the fucker again, he would tear him apart, limb by limb.)

Darkness took over the usually blank, yet gentle visage of his Shadow. (Because Tetsu was _his_ brother. **_His_** _Shadow_ . Kagami was too weak to bring out all of Tetsu’s potential.) “He deserved what he got... and he would have deserved much, _much_ more.”

Aomine swallowed hard, trying to banish those days from his mind — Tsuki was _safe_ now, they made sure of it— and nodded mutely in agreement, not exactly willing to continue the topic. Tetsu understood and instead started walking towards the door. The others were already gathered, waiting. He noticed Kasamatsu and... Yōsen’s Shooting Guard —what was his name, again?— chatting and their gazes shifted over to them. Aomine threw them a nasty look and walked out after Akashi.

This will be a long day, of that he was sure and he was already drained to the bone, between the sleepless nights and the training they’d just done. Fuck Teikō.

* * *

The moment they set foot in the First String gym again, a couple of people appeared, dressed in white. So, nothing had changed from the last time they’d been here, it seemed. A man grabbed him roughly by the arm and he tensed, instinctively moving to defend himself, but the glare made him falter.

“An attempt... and you get thrice as bad and that will also reflect on Tōō’s training tomorrow.“ the bastard warned, tone cold, yet deadpan.

Aomine would have liked to say he didn’t care for Tōō — that if it meant his safety, he’d toss the team aside... but that wasn’t true. He’d come to care for Tōō in a way... and he certainly _didn’t_ want them to be dragged into this Hell on Earth. They were already too close anyway.

“Leave our teams out of this.“ Sei hissed, “It’s us you have business with, _not_ them.”

“Ah, I’m glad that’s been established, _Subject 004_.“ the blonde woman, who was holding Sei sneered.

Then, they were dragged apart and Aomine could do nothing but duck his head and follow. He _refused_ to risk Tsuki’s wellbeing. She was part of this too, but they cared for her less than for them. He refused to remind them of her presence in Tōō. The bastards would not touch Tōō.

Imayoshi was a two-faced ass, but he _cared_. Even Aomine could tell, that in his own way, Imayoshi cared for the team and as a Captain, he did his best to ensure their well-being and victory... even if he had drastically different views from Sei. Aomine never thought he owed Imayoshi anything for putting up with him (he was self-aware enough to know he was difficult, arrogant, detached and often bloodthirsty)... but now, he knew he did.

And he would pay Imayoshi and Tōō back, by keeping Teikō away from them. Tōō may never know... but that didn’t matter. Knowing they would not be touched, was enough for him. The man dragged him a level lower, trough half-lit corridors. The white, gloomy corridors of his worst nightmares.

As the man stopped in front of a door, his instincts roared at him again, to fight, to flee... but the man, as if reading his thoughts, tightened his hold and gave him a meaningful look. Aomine swallowed back a beastly growl and didn’t resist, as the man yanked him into the room.

The man took his data again, like so long ago when the mess started. Height and weight and then he checked his reflexes. The bastard hummed in satisfaction, as he stared at the screen of his computer. “Ah... wonderful. Considering today’s data from the training... it seems your body reacted well to the very last dose and as an aftereffect, your abilities were furthered.“ he murmured thoughtfully.

Then he turned away and started looking through the shelves and returned with a syringe, three pills and a glass of water. His eyes narrowed, body tensing up when he noticed the needle. The man chuckled, cold amusement on his features.

“Stay where you are, _Phanter_.“ ah, the old code name again. Well at least it was a notch better, than being referred to as ‘Subject 006‘ — _that_ really made him feel as if he were less than human. ~~Was he not? Perhaps he was less than human already...~~

He curbed his instincts, looking away, as the man grabbed his arm and slid the needle under his skin. He couldn’t even feel the pain any more. From the corner of his eye, he saw, as the small tube was filled to the brim with the crimson of his blood.

When he was done, the man placed the syringe on the desk and shoved the pills and some water into his hands. “Swallow them.”

He glared, just to show what he thought about this all, and then tossed the pills into his mouth and washed them down. ~~He did not even want to know, what the heck these pills were~~. The bastard kept his eyes on him all the time, to make sure he wouldn’t try to fake swallowing the thing and then spit it back out when he had the chance. (They’d done it at the beginning and afterwards, they got most of the drugs intravenously.)

When the fucker made sure the pills were gone, he was shoved out the door, so hard that he stumbled. “Back to the gym. You have three minutes. You know the _consequences_ if you are late.“

Aomine growled again, but... resisted the urge to _kill_ the bastard. (He had killed— they all did— before... but if the blood stuck on his clothes now, the teams would ask questions.) He whirled on his heels and stormed away. Tōō and Tsuki will not be dragged into this. No, _never_.

The trek from the lower level back to the gym was way too short.

Tetsu, Sei, Atsu and Shin were missing. Only Ryō was there, lazily spinning a ball on his finger, visibly trying not to think about what was coming.

Aomine grabbed a ball too, his dark eyes scanning the gym. The ball throwing machines were lined up already and he twitched at the thought. Oh, it wasn’t like being hit by one hurt too much... it wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t something that killed a human, either. What could kill someone, was the punishment, that came from failing the exercise.

A simple beating, if they were lucky. If not, the bastards would beat them _and_ send them back to training, which could very-well mean collapsing with exhaustion. Ouch... that wasn’t _nice_. Even thinking about it was bad. Not to mention whatever he’d been forced to take this time... it usually helped enhance their performance, yes, but if they weren’t doing excessive exercises in the hours, when the things were in their system, dizziness, pain and everything that could be considered _hell_ , was the side effect. Sometimes the side-effects came later and...

 _‘No. Stop. Focus on surviving this.‘_ he told himself. He took a small breath and his eyes landed on the hoop at the end.

They’d have to drive down the court while dodging the balls and make a basket without being hit. Not to mention, if Ryō was here, the fuckers wanted both of them to go at the same time, which complicated the exercise even further because they had to pay attention to one another as well.

He could not sense anyone nearby, but these walls had ears. He looked at his blonde brother and made a gesture — they’d learnt to communicate without words. It was safer that way. (Besides, it was a wonderful way of aggravating the opponent. Imagine a team working like an oiled machine, yet never speaking a word, while on the court. Not to each other, nor to the opponent.) _Did they give you something?_

A tiny shiver ran trough his brother’s body and he nodded. Ah, so they took a blood sample from him too and he ate some nameless drugs as well. Same old, same old. Teikō never changed...

 _“Panther, Copycat... get ready.“_ a voice called through the mic.

Aomine took a deep breath and stood as far from the blonde next to him, as possible. (The more space they had for themselves, the likelier it was they would pull trough without failure.)

 _“Remember... five balls catch you means you failed the exercise.“_ the same cool tone warned and

Aomine frowned. _**Five?** _ Hadn’t that been _seven_ before graduation? A quick, discreet glance at Ryō told him, that the blonde was thinking along the same lines. So... the fuckers had made the exercise even more cutthroat than it had already been. Wonderful... just... _freaking wonderful_.

The signal was given and Aomine ran towards the basket, ball steadily bouncing in front of him. He froze suddenly and dodged a flying tennis ball, before moving forward again... there! He danced to the side, to avoid being hit, but he realised Ryō was right next to him... The blonde noticed and side-stepped, managing to keep his ball in hand.

Two balls hit his back and Aomine cursed under his breath. _“Two for Panther.”_

Aomine snarled, eyes scanning the area, as he moved forward again. _“One for Copycat.”_

Shit, Ryō should be careful too. He finally reached the hoop and noticed the ball... he jumped, shifted and shot... _this_ was the exercise, that forced him to work out the Formless Shot. A minute later, from a bit higher arc, Ryō’s ball swissed trough the hoop, just as he touched the wooden floor again.

_“Both were below-average speed. Watch that or the exercise is considered a failure. Retrieve your balls and start again.”_

Aomine twitched at the toneless orders, that came from whoever was watching them. He wanted to kill the freaking bastard. _Of course_ , they were below average speed, when they’d spent half the day doing “Suicide”! They were both tired. Stealing a glance at Ryō... he was surprised the blonde (and Tetsu) were on their feet. _Shit_. _He_ was feeling bad... how did _they_ feel then?

Aomine grabbed the ball again and returned to the starting point. He started dribbling slowly and when the signal was given, he started again. _‘Two weeks...‘_ he told himself, _‘Survive for two weeks and we will never see this place again. Nijimura-sempai always kept his word. He would not lie now...‘_

He dodged the balls again and although this time Ryō stumbled, almost losing his footing and the ball, too. In the last minute, he caught himself and managed to avoid a ball too. But there was another... Aomine swiftly moved between the incoming tennis ball and the blonde, trying to make it the least noticeable. Let him seem clumsy.

 _“Third ball, Phanter.”_ the voice warned. Aomine frowned at the dull pain in his back and moved forward. Ryō threw him a half-grateful, half-apologetic look. Aomine ignored it. They were brothers. He would do this for anyone out of them. And he knew, if he were in a really bad situation, Ryō would cover for him too.

The baskets went in.

His body felt tense and his breathing was coming in short gasps. Sweat poured down his face and soaked his clothes. Hell. This blasted thing was harder than he remembered. And he already had three mistakes. Damn it.

They grabbed the ball again and started again. The third round of dodging and scoring went smoothly. He wasn’t exactly feeling the pain, that came with the exhaustion... ah, so whatever he’d been given was slowly taking effect.

The fourth round was okay, till half-court. Barely trough half the distance, he noticed a ball... moved... and wasn’t fast enough. It hit his hand rather strongly, which caused him to lose the ball. He cursed colourfully in his mind.

“ _Fourth mistake, Phanter.”_ was the sharp, dangerous warning.

Aomine gasped, spitting onto the floor, as he grabbed his ball again. Ryō sank a basket. Well, at least _he_ will make it back to the hotel in time. He tried keeping an expressionless face, as he hurried to the start line once more.

He took a deep breath. Relax. _Focus_. Nothing existed, but the ball and the hoop.

He could enter The Zone willingly. It had taken him some time, but after Sei gave him a few pointers... now he could enter it easily and willingly, just like the redhead. Of course, entering while he was so exhausted was the worst thing he could do, but he had no other chance. He either risked this, or he’ll fail the exercise and...

He swallowed hard. He may not be able to remain in The Zone long enough to pull through, but it at least gave him a bigger chance to finish this. For a moment, there was nothing around him, but pure blackness and then he felt himself floating in the water.

When he opened his eyes, Ryō gasped and murmured something about idiocy. Aomine knew this was risky, but it was worth a try. He wanted to survive.

They started again and this time he was hyper-aware of Ryō’s presence next to him, aware of the balls coming their way. He dodged swiftly, driving down, towards the basket. He’ll manage— or not. He felt his muscles cramp as if someone squeezed them and he fell with a grunt, vision swimming. Ryō drove past him and continued.

Aomine groaned as he rolled onto his back, dimly aware of the small balls passing overhead.

 _“Subject 006, exercise failed.”_ the voice announced from somewhere above, but Aomine could not pinpoint the exact location. Still, the words bounced about in his mind sinisterly. _Failed._

Damn it.

* * *

 _CRACK._ One.

 _CRACK._ Two.

Aomine swallowed the cry, that almost tore from his lips. He hated when this happened.

 _CRACK_. Three.

Failure meant pain and each hit burned his back like liquified fire.

“What’s our saying, Phanter?“ the man hissed from behind. Aomine took a few deep breaths, hating how he could not move. The bastard had, after all, tied his hands to the wall. He growled and blindly kicked backwards, hoping to crack the fucker’s shin.

 _CRACK_. Four.

 _CRACK_. Five.

 _CRACK_. Six.

“What is our saying? Who we are?“ the man moved to face him and Aomine snarled. It was the blonde bastard, who had always made Tetsu’s life harder than it should have been. He snarled and spit him between the eyes.

The man made a disgusted face and grabbed a napkin from the pocket of his lab coat, to wipe his face. Then he moved and he hits came again.

 _CRACK_. Seven.

 _CRACK_. Eight.

 _CRACK_. Nine.

This time he could not stop the cry of pain, that escaped him. He felt the cold breath on his neck, the adult leaned closer. His voice was low and sinister, as he spoke in the eerie silence of the tiny room. “I’m asking _again_ , Subject 006. Who. We. Are? And what’s our saying?”

Aomine swallowed hard. He could feel blood trickling down his back. Damn it... this had never broken skin before. It had hurt yes, but not like this. Now the fucker had deliberately hit him in a way, that made his back bleed _and_ ache.

“We’re Teikō Chūgakkō.“ he gasped out, blinking fast to clean his swimming vision.

“Good. And what’s our saying?“

 _“Hyakku notatakai, hyakku no shōri.“_ Aomine’s stomach churned. He hated those words. He hated this place.

 _CRACK_. Ten.

“Then remember it. And remember you belong to Teikō. And failure is _not_ tolerated.“ the bastard snarled, carelessly releasing his bonds. Exhausted and in pain, Aomine crumped to the ground, listening to the sound of fading steps.

He was left alone. He took a few deep breaths and slowly staggered to his feet, grabbing his shirt and sweater from the ground. The shirt would be useless by the time he made t back to the hotel... but at least the Tōō-coloured fabric of the sweater would hide the blood.

If he was lucky, Tetsu, Shin or Sei had some first aid with them, which Tsuki could sneak away...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think. Thanks :)


	15. ᴘᴇʀᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ — ɪᴍᴀʏᴏꜱʜɪ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The italics part with a bit bigger space is flashback :)

**_9th July, Monday_ **

Aomine was late.

Imayoshi looked at the numbers on his phone and decided, that Aomine was _late._ (Aomine being late was all too _normal._.. yet, something didn’t sit well with Imayoshi this time.) The first-year hadn’t been too communicative in the short break they had between that killer training session and the arrival of the infamous Phantom...

But he had managed to drag some info out of him. This supposed second round of training was kept between 16:00-18:00 and not a minute longer, Aomine stated. That is, it was not longer if they hadn’t pissed off Akashi. It was easy to piss of Rakuzan’s Captain if it involved some sort of tardiness related to basketball.

Imayoshi had sensed the bloodlust and the killing intent from the redhead. He’d also seen, as the midget reduced the three Uncrowned Kings into a trembling mess last night before they all retired for the night. Imayoshi had to admit... the kid knew _something_ , to turn three prideful individuals into a sobbing, pleading mess. And it was intriguing to watch how the redhead had forced Kagami Taiga to his knees with a mere brush of fingers and some whispered words.

Akashi Seijūrō was something else. Something Imayoshi could not name... He had even asked Aomine, but the Power Forward had been oddly and uncharacteristically... _cryptic_. (He had never taken Aomine for a cryptic person.)

_Imayoshi eyed the unmoving form of his Power Forward. Aomine had simply fallen onto his bed, like a sack of potatoes and remained there, unmoving, face pressed into the pillow. A part of him felt a spark of satisfaction... this was a sort of payback for all the missed training back at Tōō. Yet... Yet he had not missed the way Kise and Kuroko struggled to complete the exercise. Yet, when Akashi turned his sharp, mismatched eyes on the other Kiseki, all five stood straight and attentive._

_“Kise-kun and Kuroko-kun had a hard time during the run,” he remarked lightly. Sakurai wasn’t in the room for now, so it was just the two of them._

_“Both of them have lower stamina, than the rest of us. Ten to twelve would have been more than enough for them both. Their abilities are different. Well, Kise’s not so different from mine or Akashi’s... but Tetsu’s a different type of player.“ came the toneless reply, although he could sense the tired drawl from Aomine. Even he was spent. Not that Imayoshi was surprised._

_**He** _ _hadn’t finished the twenty rounds and he was tired. Aomine had finished all twenty... and he hadn’t exactly been training properly since... well since he’d first set foot in Tōō, for all Imayoshi knew._

_“Why hadn’t they stepped out, then?“ Imayoshi asked, “We all stepped out when we could no longer continue.”_

_Aomine snorted and threw him a look. Imayoshi had a feeling, that the Power Forward thought he’d lost his mind by asking that question. “Because they weren’t allowed to,” he said at last._

_“And who stopped them from quitting? The exercise was...“_

_“Akashi.“ was the simple answer._

_Imayoshi threw the other an irritated look for being cut off, but then he raised an eyebrow. “Come again, Aomine-kun?“_

_“Akashi forbade all of us from stepping out. Trust me, if I could, I would have stopped two rounds after you. That was my limit.”_

_Imayoshi frowned. “Aomine-kun.“ he called sharply, sitting straighter on his bed, “We’ve come to visit Teikō because they graciously invited us. But you are no longer a student of Teikō, neither is Akashi. **He** leads Rakuzan now and **I’m** your Captain.“ _

_Aomine threw him a look, which certainly conveyed, that the Power Forward thought him mad. “You don’t defy Akashi. Anyone and everyone, who defies the Emperor, dies. I love living... I hadn’t survived this long... just to die by the Emperor’s hands.”_

_Imayoshi opened his mouth to speak, but then Sakurai returned and he held himself back, mulling over the words. What had gotten into Aomine, calling his ex-captain “Emperor”? (What came next, he was going to kneel to the redhead midget or what?)_

He still could not understand what bug had hit Aomine, that made him call Akashi “Emperor“. And Imayoshi wasn’t _deaf_. There was no mockery in the tone. It had been even, deadpan. As if Aomine was recounting a simple fact.

_You don’t defy Akashi. Anyone and everyone who defies the Emperor dies._

Those were Aomine’s words. Just _who the_ _Hell_ was Akashi Seijūrō to get himself to be referred at in such a way?

Imayoshi was snapped from his thoughts when he heard the door open. It was Aomine. He threw a glance at his phone.

18:30

Aomine was late. Much too late, even if he counted the walk between the hotel and the school. (Which wasn’t that long...)

“I see you’re back, Aomine-kun.“ he greeted pleasantly, “How was training?“

Aomine’s dark blue eyes found him and Imayoshi almost reeled back in shock. There was... there was something dark and beastly in the Ace’s gaze, just like months ago when he defended Momoi-chan.

“It was tiresome, like always.“ he murmured, even his voice strained. As if even speaking hurt.

“I’ll go, get a shower.“ Aomine murmured. He grabbed a fresh shirt from his bag along with his shower gel and disappeared from the room again.

Imayoshi watched him go, noticing the odd, almost painfully taunt way he held himself. None of the usual lazy hunching... And... gods what training had they done, for his shirt to have such dark sweat stains on the back?

Come now, he’d heard rumours, that Teikō’s training was considered _cutthroat_ ... but what could it be? Aomine looked ready to collapse. The way his legs were shaking, Imayoshi was surprised he managed to walk back here on his own two feet, instead of being dragged by one of the _Kiseki_. (Would they had even dragged him back? With the amount of tension, he sensed from the six — and even Momoi— he was surprised they’d been once considered a team.)

He shook his head and returned to his book. It was quite interesting, after all, and having his mind preoccupied with a rebellious First year all the time had to be considered unhealthy... He was done with four pages, by the time Aomine returned, water still dripping from his dark blue hair. And, the towel was oddly tightly wrapped around him... as if he were a girl... Nope. Stop.

How he carries his towel was Aomine’s preference. Imayoshi returned to his book again, but he was aware of Aomine changing into nightwear. Then he tossed the wet towel to the chair where his discarded training clothes lay and shuffled towards the door again.

“Where to, Aomine-kun?“ he asked curiously.

Aomine frowned at him, displeased by the question. “It’s not your business, Imayoshi... but if you must know, I want to see Satsuki. Have to speak with her.“ and then he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

Imayoshi shook his head, wondering what the door had done to the Power Forward, to get such rough treatment.

With a sigh, he glanced at the mess Aomine had left on his side of the room and frowned in displeasure. Had no one taught him to be orderly? He blinked a little, his eyes drawn to the odd colour...

Red? Was that red, where it shouldn’t be?

Frowning, he marked the page he was at and stood up, to have a closer look. And... light reddish smudges on the towel. Odd. His gaze wandered to the shirt Aomine had discarded — a black one— and checked that too. The back of it was damp with swea—

There was a slight smell of iron. Not the salty, bothersome smell of sweat. Or at least, not only _that_ smell. Frowning, even more, Imayoshi reached out to check the shirt and he frowned, even more, when his hand got sticky. As he took his hand away, his eyes went wide... because the liquid from the shirt has coloured his hand red.

_Blood._

Why the hell was the back of Aomine’s shirt bloody, when he’d been training all this time? You don’t get bloody practising _basketball_...

Imayoshi narrowed his eyes and readjusted his glasses. Something was off. Best keep an eye on Aomine, while they were in this damn training camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and share your insights. Comments make the world go round :3


	16. ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴛ ꜱᴜꜰꜰᴇʀɪɴɢ — ᴋᴜʀᴏᴋᴏ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long italics part in the middle is flashback/past scene again. :)

**_10th July, Tuesday_ **

It took far more energy to get out of bed than he would have liked. Yesterday’s training had been a bit too much. Sei’s careful reminder of the _others’_ presence made the alumni reconsider and they lowered his menu, just a little. Still, it was enough not to die from sheer exhaustion, for which he was grateful. (Count on Sei to be the saviour. _Hell,_ even when they were supposed to pretend they could not stand one another... even then, Sei could not completely squash his mother hen tendencies. But of course, anyone, who dared to call Akashi Seijūrō a mother hen, where aforementioned redhead could hear, was as good as dead. Sei denied being a mother hen... the way Shin denied being a tsundere. They _denied_ they were like that, but _everyone_ knew they were like that because it was _practically_ written all over them.)

Of course, he knew it would mean, that Sei and Shin would keep an extra eye on him and push him right where the others could see, just to appeal to the alumni and maintain the farce... but that was okay. He would pull through.

He would not have to worry about Seirin because they could not read him. As much, as he loved the team, he had to agree with Dai and Sei to point. Their spirit and teamwork were commendable, exactly the kind of team he liked working with... but in overall skill, Seirin was the least prepared and experienced out of the six teams. He liked working with Kagami too, his love for basketball and the fire in his eyes was contagious... but it was nothing like shadowing Dai or Sei or even Ryō. Playing with Kagami was nice, but it wasn’t like playing with his brothers.

He wanted to play with them. He wanted to hug them... but that was not to be. They had to keep up their game, to keep Teikō away from their teams. As long as Teikō were interested in them, they will not touch the teams. Which meant they had to pretend to hate one another and had to withstand the inhuman treatment, whenever their teams could not see.

He got out of bed and started his morning routine. Brush teeth, tame his horrible bed hair — the daily challenge of the century,— get dressed. When he was done, he sat back on the bed, carefully pulling up his legs. Maybe a little meditation will help keep his head clean. The last thing he needed was for his emotional mask to slip...

... a shiver ran down his spine. _Nope._ He would not let that mask slip. They were just looking for a moment of weakness. (It was bad enough, that yesterday, Dai had been beaten for his failure, rather badly, if Tsuki’s message was anything to go by.) Of course, Tsuki had left that message only for him. If Sei knew Dai had been beaten bloody, the redhead would have gone on a mad rampage and that would have ended up with several deaths. Their teams didn’t need to see Sei with bloody scissors and hands, a maniacal grin on his face, while everything about him roared _mad beast ._ Of course... that had only happened twice trough their Teikō years.

Once when Shin had been hurt and another time when he had come out bloody from a treatment. Oh, Sei had looked murderous enough after Haizaki had raped Tsuki... but they had spared his life, only because the bastards would have looked for the silver-haired teen. At that point, Haizaki was still useful and if it reached the alumni, that a _subject_ had killed another...

That would have been the death of a dozen or more. And they didn’t want the Second or Third String dragged into it. They had enough of a reputation by then, anyway...

_Kuroko sighed, as they slowly walked towards the cafeteria, aware of the fearful glances the Second and Third String members threw their way. Now that Kise was part of the First String too, he was no longer the blonde’s mentor... but Kise liked being around him and Kuroko didn’t mind his presence, either. He had something... something of both Sei and Dai in him, which drew Kuroko in. The blonde was as sunny, as Dai on his best days and as magnetic and intriguing, as Sei. But on the top of it all, he was energetic and **positive** in a way no one Kuroko had ever met. Kise Ryōta was easy to read, yet he had an odd mystery to him (not the typically “mysterious“ mystery, like Sei... something much lighter and friendlier), something that made the Phantom wonder what made the model tick._

_“Hey, Kurokocchi... why are those guys looking at us like that?“ Kise asked, making a gesture._

_Kuroko shifted a bit and his eyes met some others, who immediately looked away. Still, Kuroko knew what their eyes hid. Badly concealed fear, awe and pity. The teal glanced at Kise. “The Second String gets the same treatment, like us. The whole Club is like that.“ he said quietly._

_Kise’s face morphed into an odd expression — something between shock, anger and pity. “I thought they did this only to the best?_ “ _he hissed in a low, angry tone, “To **us**?” _

_Kuroko shook his head. “Iie, Kise-kun. All Basketball Club members are treated the same way.”_

_They took a turn. “How many people are in the Club, as a whole? All three Strings, I mean.”_

_Kuroko shrugged. “I don’t know the exact numbers. You’d have to ask Momoi-chan for those... but all three Strings together mean around a hundred students.”_

_Kise took a sharp breath through his teeth. “Bastards.”_

_“Keep your voice **low**.“ he warned darkly, giving the blonde a sharp look. Kise ducked his head, cowed. _

_“Gomen’nasai.“ he glanced back up, “But still... why did they look at us, like that? If we’re all... you know... shouldn’t we stick together?“_

_“Theoretically, yes.“ the teal answered. “In practice... they admire and fear us. And they understand, that the more **we** bear, the less they have to... and they don’t understand why we do it. Why we train and put up with everything, to keep the alumni’s attention on us.” _

_“And why do you? Keep their attention away from them, I mean.“_

_“We’re the First String, Kise-kun, it’s our responsibility. The only one, who does not understand this, is Haizaki-kun. But Haizaki does not understand anything, that would be just a little bit like teamwork, sharing or the like.” he said. Just thinking of the silver-haired teen made his nerves prickle._

_“Gomen... Kurokocchi, but I don’t understand your point.“ the blonde said, blinking at him with some confusion._

_Kuroko smiled a little. “Akashi-kun was right. You’re the right choice... Haizaki never understood, but he never asked for clarification. And even, when we tried spelling it out to him, he laughed at us. I’m surprised Akashi-kun hadn’t pinned him to the wall with scissors...” he murmured thoughtfully._

_“Kurokocchi?“_

_Kuroko took a deep breath. “We’re... all the same here, Kise-kun. You fend for yourself first, yes. But if you do not pay attention to those around you... you will not even survive a day. You have to keep an odd balance between individuality and team. And all the Strings are a team. And the stronger help the weaker on the team, because in time, even those who are weak, may grow strong. And when they are strong, it’s better to have an ally, than an enemy. Besides...“ his tone dropped even more, “... if you kick a dog one too many times, one day it will have enough and bite back.”_

_There was a long moment of silence._

_“So they pity us because of what we endure. But they admire us, because they understand, that we stand between them and suffering. And while they fear our skills, they also admire it.“ Kise said, “The way you admire and fear a... predator. You know it’s beautiful and helps keep nature’s balance, but you also fear it, because it has the strength to kill you.”_

_Kuroko nodded an amused smile breaking trough his blank mask for a moment. “Hai. I hadn’t taken you for the... philosophical type. That sounded like real smart-talk.”_

_The blonde gave him an offended look. “My grades are bad, Kurokocchi... well at least not as good, as they should be, but I’m **not** an idiot.” _

_“I can see that, Kise-kun.“ he said, lips curling upwards even more._

_They continued in silence until they reached the cafeteria. They joined the long line of students, who were waiting for their food. Once they got their trays, Kuroko spotted Aomine and the others and they headed their way._

_He threw a meaningful look at the model. “Keep our conversation in mind, Kise-kun. It may yet help you survive Teikō.”_

The Second and Third String had been wary of them by then... but they also admired them. It was exactly the perfect mix of the two emotions, just like Ryō had said a person would look at a big cat. Of course, Kuroko also knew, that not everyone had been clear with how Teikō worked and some fools had been envious of the skill and attention the six of them had.

The games they played, the fear, that sparked from those games — and that envy of their fellow schoolmates— was what had twisted their fancy team name into something morbidly fitting. _Kaijū no Sedai._

But that didn’t matter. Many had never returned, but many more had graduated Teikō along with them, Kuroko knew. And that was because the six of them had endured. No one needed to go through, what they had gone through. They suffered silently, so others would not have to.

And they did the same _now_ , with their teams here. Teikō would not drag their teams down. They will not allow it.

“What are you doing awake so soon, Kuroko?“ a lazy voice drawled.

Kuroko’s eyes snapped open — when had he shut them?— and he looked at Kagami, who was just scrambling out of bed, along with Furihata.

He shrugged. “I’m an early riser.”

“How the hell can you manage? I’m dead from yesterday’s training and you’ve done _more._ How have you even stayed conscious long enough to walk back here?“ the redhead asked disbelievingly.

“Akashi-kun can be motivating when he wants to be.“

The Power Forward gave him a sceptical look and snorted. “Why do I not believe you?”

Kuroko watched him head towards the door and remained silent. Outsiders will never truly understand, what it meant to be a _survivor_ of Teikō. (Did this even count? Everything that had happened, still haunted them... and the only thing that kept them on their feet at the moment, was _the Oath_ they made so long ago.)

The Oath, that no one will ever know the truth of Teikō. That no innocent will suffer the same fate as _them_ , while the seven of them still drew breath. (They will never let that happen. Not on their watch.)

* * *

This time the three-team stand up was Rakuzan, Seirin and Tōō and they settled in the First String gym.

Of course, the floor was spotless and shiny as always, no sign of the sweat and blood from yesterday afternoon. Typical.

Kuroko felt like his limbs were made of stone — he hadn’t rested properly last night and nausea from the drugs administered yesterday made things worse. He could barely keep down his breakfast. The only reason he ate before they set off, was because he knew that his siblings would make a fuss, pretence be damned and he didn’t want that. (Of course, he wasn’t blind. He noticed the _looks_ Shin, Atsu, Sei and Dai had sent his way when they checked the amount of food on his plate. Ryō did something similar to him, so he got the same _looks_.)

Sanada greeted them and told them to start warming up. He threw looks at his brothers and they proceeded with it. His muscles were stiff and aching, but he did his best to ignore it. Ah, for once all that emotional conditioning was useful. (If Hyūga-sempai or Aida-sempai noticed how tired he was, they would not have let him participate today, which would just make things worse _later_...)

They went through the warm-ups and by the time they were finished, several people looked ready to die. Their day hadn’t even started yet...

“How the hell can they think of making us train, when we worked ourselves to the bone yesterday?“ Kagami murmured, looking at him.

“It’s a _training camp_ , Kagami-kun. It means we spend the time _training_ , to improve the most we can in the available time.” he pointed out because that was what a real training camp was for. This wasn’t a real one... just a farce Teikō was playing, so the seven of them were together again, but his Light didn’t need to know that.

Kagami looked at him. “How are you even _alive_? You had two extra hours of training yesterday. You shouldn’t have had the stamina to pull through...”

“As I said, Akashi-kun is a great motivator.“ he insisted.

_(“Stand, Tetsuya. Please. We both know you **must** get through this or something worse awaits and I do not wish to even think about it. I would not be able to sleep at night if I let you slack off and you paid in blood for it.” the redhead whispered, as inconspicuously, as possible. They didn’t want the alumni to know, how close they were, after all.) _

Kagami snorted. “Yeah... whatever. That guy is a mad _tyrant_.”

Kuroko twitched. He liked Kagami a lot — Kagami had been his first _friend_ , because the Kiseki were family, so that was different—, but at that moment, he would have liked to deal him a blow in the gut, with the same force he used for _Ignite Pass: Kai_. Kagami deserved that. No one, _absolutely no one_ called his mother-hen-of-a-brother a mad tyrant. No one escaped his wrath if one of his brothers (or sister) were badmouthed or harmed in any way.

He made a note to punch Kagami later when the time was more appropriate.

He focused, as Sanada told the group about the planking exercise they had to do for the next twenty minutes. (And a minute was added to the twenty as many times, as someone dropped the position.) Even the fitter ones, like Rakuzan — Sei was too meticulous and paranoid to let them be anything, but the best,— seemed suitably horrified by the exercise.

Kuroko twitched. Living Hell.

When kantoku called out for the three of them, Kuroko didn’t resist. There was no point in resisting. ~~You could not resist Teikō. You could not escape Teikō.~~

Kagami threw him a curious look and Kuroko glanced at him. “We’re going through the third-year routine. The difference is, that you guys get the lightened load of the Third String, while _we_ are going through our old one,” he explained.

He could feel Kagami’s curious eyes on him, as he walked to the front, to meet up with Sei and Dai. Sanada nodded and then looked at the teams.

“Twenty minutes. For every stop, an extra minute is added. Those extra minutes will be counted once the twenty-minute round is done. Those who will have to do extra, get a minute break before having to start again. Also, weights are added to the exercise. You’ll have to do it with a five-pound weight on your back.“ he waited a minute, “Is the task clear?”

Every single person looked wide-eyed and Kuroko could understand why. Planking without weights was hard enough anyway, for twenty minutes _straight_. With a five-pound weight, it was even worse. But, he reminded himself, they got away with the light version.

Kuroko frowned. Planking for twenty minutes was tiresome — worse when you were already tired... and while they’d only done warm-ups now, he wasn’t rested from yesterday. The added weights just made it worse.

Once everyone took the pose, Kuroko sensed and heard Sanada move away, to retrieve their weights.

A few people appeared along with their current coaches and the weights were distributed. Kuroko almost grunted when he felt the _ten-pound_ weight on his own back. Sei twitched and Dai winced. Shit... he was surely in a lot of pain, with how his back was now.

Then, Sanada’s phone rang and the man sighed. “Forgive me, I must answer this one. Akashi-kun... I heard you oversee Rakuzan’s training rather often, just as you had done with the First String here.“

“Hai.“ was the simple answer.

“Then... may I trust you... maybe all three of you, to ensure that the exercise is completed fairly?“

Kuroko almost snapped at the too-sweet tone of the bastard. “Of course, coach.“ he said, giving the man a sidelong glance. “We’ll do it.”

The phone kept ringing. Sanada nodded to them again and then hurried out of the room. Kuroko took a deep breath and stared at his own hands. Anywhere but at his brothers right there next to him or he’ll be tempted to start a conversation, which was _not_ a good idea.

After five minutes, the first person fell. Kuroko’s eyes snapped up when he realised it was one of his teammates. “That’s an extra minute, Furihata-kun.“

His fellow First Year gave him a suffering look. “B-but Kuro—”

 _“You heard Tetsuya.“_ Sei cut in sharply, as he glared at Furihata, “And you heard Sanada-kantoku, like the rest of us. Return to the exercise, the extra minute will be added once the twenty passed and no one will leave the gym until it is completed.”

Furihata shrunk a little but wisely kept silent. After ten minutes, Wakamatsu, Sakurai and Mayuzumi fell too.

“Chihiro, an extra minute in the end.“ Sei said sharply.

“Same goes for Wakamatsu and Sakurai.“ Dai said. The blonde threw Dai a dark look and murmured something under his breath, but didn’t speak out loud.

Kuroko grunted and fell. Sei gave him a sharp look, but Kuroko could see the worry in his mismatched gaze. “An extra two minutes, Tetsuya.“

Kuroko sighed and didn’t say anything. He could see, that if it would have been possible, Sei would not have even allowed him and Dai to join today.

By the time they reached the sixteenth-minute mark, Izuki and Tsuchida had also fallen once, along with Hayama. Dai also fell, cursing colourfully. Sei gave him a sharp look. “An extra two minutes, in the end, Daiki and if I hear you speak like that again, I’ll make it four. Am I clear?”

Dai slowly composed himself, gave Sei a nasty look, but lowered his head in acceptance anyway. “Clear, Captain.”

Kuroko shivered a little. With every passing minute, his siblings’ patience was wearing thinner and thinner... in this pretence. _‘Where are you, Nijimura-sempai? Please hurry up...‘_

And it was just Tuesday. At this rate, one of his siblings will just _snap_ — or maybe himself — and kill someone...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please tell me what you think :)


	17. ᴜɴᴄʀᴏᴡɴᴇᴅ ᴋɪɴɢꜱ — ᴋɪʏᴏꜱʜɪ

**_10th July, Tuesday_ **

The training was inhuman.

Kiyoshi prided himself to be fit for his age and he paid attention to his knee as well, so that wasn’t too much of a problem either. Despite his injury, he could participate in training and games, as long as he was cautious. He was used to rough training — he had a dream and he knew he had to give a lot to reach it. Seirin had a tough training schedule, especially after Riko had reworked it following the Interhigh.

But that training seemed like a walk in the park, compared to _this_.

Teikō’s training schedule seemed ridiculous — no, it was _downright inhuman_. He looked at the three fellow Uncrowned Kings, who were chatting oddly quietly between themselves. The Uncrowned Kings — unlike the _Kiseki_ — had never been a team. They all played for different Middle Schools, but that didn’t mean they didn’t know each other. Not only because of the shared moniker but because they’d played against one another.

“Is it just me or do you think this training schedule is ridiculous for a Middle School team?“ he asked quietly, as they walked towards the back of the school, the three _Kiseki_ leading the way. Or, more like Akashi leading the way and Kuroko and Aomine walking behind him, but still ahead of the mingling teams.

The three shared a look. “Akashi always trains us like this.“ Hayama whined softly.

“Not really, Hayama.“ Mibuchi cut in, “Sei-chan is rough during training, I won’t deny that. But he never asks more, than what he does. He always does it with us.“

“He does more.“ a quiet voice added.

Kiyoshi blinked when the grey-haired teen appeared next to him. Gods, Mayuzumi Chihiro fit the definition of Phantom. His presence was low, just like Kuroko’s. But it was there— barely, but it was there. Kuroko was though, like a ghost and if Kiyoshi had not shaken hands with the teal that first time, he would have even questioned, if the first year had a physical body, to begin with...

“What are you saying exactly?“ Kiyoshi asked, glancing at Rakuzan’s Sixth Man.

Mayuzumi gave him a look and then glanced at his teammates. “Whenever we have training... if it’s in the morning, Akashi’s the first one and often by the time I arrive, he already looks like he had run around the gym at least thrice, at the very worst, if he’s “late“ by whatever standard he’s set for himself, he’s already into the warm-up. Or when it’s in the afternoon he’s the last to leave. Once I forgot my novel in the locker and I had to go back. It was half-past five...“ Mayuzumi paused for a second, “We finish at five, in the afternoon,“ he clarified and Kiyoshi nodded in understanding. The Phantom continued, “and he was going through our drills as if there was no tomorrow. He... he’s very observant and he _always_ notices me, even when others miss my presence. He was so absorbed in his training, that I stood there for several minutes and _he hadn’t noticed me_.”

Kiyoshi hummed. Indeed, he recalled, that Kuroko had somewhat startled even his former teammates, with his appearance and disappearance. But not the redhead. It was quite the opposite. It was as if Kuroko was the very first one, whom Akashi noticed when they were in the same room.

And if Mayuzumi was anything like Kuroko... well, it was saying something, that the Phantom hadn’t been noticed by his Captain.

“Sei-chan _didn’t notice you?_ “ Mibuchi asked.

Kiyoshi decided, that _yes_ , judging by the Shooting Guard’s tone, it was an abnormal thing or maybe downright impossible, by the team’s perception.

“No.“ Mayuzumi confirmed. His grey eyes flickered ahead, lingering on the three former Teikō. “And I don’t know what you think... but the amount of... _wickedness_ that rolls off of him ever since the name _**Teikō** _ was first spoken, is abnormal. Abnormal even by his mad, bloodthirsty standards.”

“Bloodthirsty?“ Kiyoshi asked, “Come now, that’s a strong word for a cute kōhai...“ he was off when suddenly, Nebuya slammed a big, tanned hand on his mouth and Rakuzan froze for a moment, glancing ahead, studying the redhead. When they didn’t find what they were looking for, the other Center dropped his hand and the Kyoto team collectively glared at him.

“ _Never, ever_ call him _cute_.“ hissed Hayama, flailing in panic, yet his face still maintaining its seriousness, “If he hears that, you’re _dead_ and I doubt the pleading of your team or your Phantom will save you from dying _slowly and painfully_. _Never, **ever** _use that word, when referring to Akashi, if you want to stay alive.”

“Well said.“ the other Rakuzan regulars murmured in agreement.

Kiyoshi hummed, his mind wandering just a bit, circling back to the original topic. “Still... don’t you think this is pushing a bit? I spoke to Kuroko. We had five-pound weights. Aomine, Akashi and him had ten-pound ones.”

The Rakuzan members looked at him with wide eyes. “Don’t pull our leg, Kiyoshi.“ Nebuya scoffed.

Kiyoshi shook his head. “Kuroko has never once lied since I’ve known him. That’s just not him. And I did catch a glimpse of the numbers on the weights. They _had_ ten-pound ones.”

 _“Merciful kami...“_ Hayama murmured, “This training is tougher than what Akashi puts us trough. And they get even worse? What the hell _is_ Teikō?”

“That’s something I haven’t solved yet... but I would like to.“ the Seirin student admitted.

* * *

There was a perfectly _imperfect_ track around the school. Uneven, but not too much. When they reached the spot, they also found the other teams there. Kiyoshi was faintly curious what the other three teams may have been doing... but no. Considering the exercises they’d just done, he would rather not know.

“Again, the exercise is not too difficult, but it needs speed, precision and concentration.“ Akashi said. “Line up in five or six. Or four, at least.“ he said, grabbing a ball. The other Kiseki did the same and lined up at the start, as Akashi gestured for them to do the same. “Rakuzan, since our general stand up is how the six of us have been during Teikō, you line up like that. Chihiro, stand behind Tetsuya and Kōtaro, behind Daiki. The others may stand as they wish, but it’s a coordination exercise, so it would make more sense, if you stood with your teammates.”

Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything, as Seirin slowly squeezed themselves next to one another.

“Following our stand up...“ Akashi continoued, as he took a spot between Murasakibara and Midorima, “On one side, the person who is best at passing and ball handling.“ he gestured at the two Phantom players, to emphasise his point. “On the other side, the Power or the Small Forward or rather, the one who is the likeliest to catch the pass.“ he gestured at Aomine and Hayama, who stood on the other side of the dirt track, behind each other. “The other spots may very based on preferance or the suggestion of the team’s playmaker. The point is, that you run and dribble continously. Every five meters you pass the ball to the side to the person running next to you. Tetsuya, however, has no person to pass to so that means he will have to pass to Daiki, behind our back. Daiki will have to catch the ball and continou, until he passes to Ryōta again and this continoues on, until we reach this starting point again. Keep the same speed, you will have to run next to each other. The people on the two sides cannot be left behind even a step. The line has to be even. Also, you will notice red markers on the way. Ever time we pass a marker, you will have to increase your speed a bit and keep it until the next one. Understood?“

“Hai!”

Kiyoshi hummed. A tricky exersie. Coordination and speed, but it also helped improve ball handling and passing. “How long is the track?“ he asked curiously.

“It runs around the building and there is a total ten rounds.“ was the calm answer.

Kiyoshi’s eyes went wide. That... he peered at the redhead. Akashi was totally unruffled by the fact and the rest of the Kiseki seemed to be equally stone-faced. Kiyoshi himself wasn’t so calm. He’d seen how big the school was and they would be running around it...

“Do you want to kill us, damnit!?“ somone called, either from Tōō or Yōsen, Kiyoshi could not decide.

Akashi’s mismatched eyes were completely calm, as he turned towards the voice. “No, of course not. Besides, if you haven’t been told yet, I will clarify for you. The exercises our current teams have been asked to do so far, have been designed for the Third String. I have not asked you to do _our—_ “ he gestured at the rest of his former teammates, “routine, because Sanada-kantoku and the rest of us are aware, that it may be too much and all the exercises would be counter-productive. However, if you feel up to it, you may continue with us, until _we_ finish the exercise.”

Kiyoshi almost choked. Kagami did end up choking at hearing the words.

“Is this place a fucking school?“ the redhead asked.

Kiyoshi didn’t answer... because he was no longer sure himself. Just from this short time here, he could tell, that Teikō was not a sparkly, pink and fluffy place _at all._

He didn’t know what this place was...

... but he was sure, that it was _not_ a normal school. Glancing at the other Uncrowned Kings, he knew they were thinking along the same lines and he swore he heard Nebuya murmur something, that if Akashi had made them do Teikō routines, he would have long died, because Rakuzan was a tough team, but this was apperently _more_ , than what they could chew...

Kiyoshi wondered what kept the Kiseki from simply quitting, when they attended Teikō... (Later, he would regret even thinking about this question, but for now, he was just as clueless, as everyone else.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the best... but eeh... :/  
> Nonetheless, please leave comments and tell me what YOU think.  
> Also, not-nice private training tips for the Kiseki are still welcome :)


	18. ᴄʀɪᴍꜱᴏɴ ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ — ᴀᴋᴀꜱʜɪ 『ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ』

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The usual WARNINGS apply: Violence, Human Experimentation, Blood, Character Death, so please read cautiously.  
> The date is mostly random... But this happened in their second year, just a little after they all start using nicknames.
> 
> _Also, this is the chapter, which I use to wish you all, my dear readers a Happy and Bonteous New Year!_ 🥳

**_14/06/20xx_ , _Wednesday_ ; Teikō** **Chūgakkō, Tokyo**

_Akashi frowned, when he looked at the clock hanging above the blackboard. Training would start in half an hour. He grabbed his bag and hurried towards the First String Gym. If he was late, that would not end well. He was very, **very** aware of the consequences of something like that and..._

_No stop. He would not think about that._

_He hurried past the many student, who parted for him, like the sea. While hurrying towards the gym, he also noticed his teal-haired protégé and brother. Hm, yes. If he had a sibling, he wouldn’t have minded if it were someone, like the blue-eyed passing specialist._

_“Tetsuya.” he called._

_The shorter male slowed his steps a bit and dipped his head in greeting. “Sei.”_

_His mismatched eyes darted around, looking for their other team members. “Where are the others?“ he asked, as they took a turn. He hurried his steps and Tetsuya matched him without a word, he was sure, the Phantom was aware of the time himself._

_“I’m unaware, where Dai and Tsuki are. I met Shin a while back and he said he’ll be there, he’ll just have to return a book to the library in hurry before he comes. I’ve no idea about Ryō.”_

_Akashi slowly released a breath. “Well, as long as they’re not late, it’s alright, I believe.”_

_They arrived soon after and as they passed other members of the Club, they —First and other Second years, hell even some Third years— greeted them respectfully, with fear and admiration in their eyes._

_“Sometimes, Sei...“ Tetsuya murmured, glancing at him, “I wonder what you do to the Club, when we’re not around.”_

_“Nothing, Tetsuya. Absolutely nothing.“ he said sincerely, “You know I care about the Club members.”_

_“Hai, hai.“_

_They made it to the locker and hurriedly changed. Strange as it was, many of the Second String were also present today, but then again, it was evaluation day, so perhaps it wasn’t **that** much of an oddity. He was just about to snap and march off to find the missing First String members, when Daiki walked in, already changed, followed by Satsuki and Shintarō. Good, they were on time. He would have hated punishing them for being late. (But better him, than **them**.)_

_The coaches didn’t tolerate tardiness._

_Sanada arrived and gave them a cool once-over, before he gestured carelessly towards the door. “We’ll be looking at your stamina stats, so we’re running outside today. I want at least twenty laps around the building.”_

_He frowned inwardly, throwing a careful glance at Tetsuya. He was sure the Phantom and several members of the Third String too... would not be able to pull trough twenty laps. (Even Ryōta might struggle... his stamina was good, definitely better, than Tetsuya... but it got drained faster, than his or Daiki’s_ _energy.) Or if they did, they surely will not have energy for anything else. Still, he gestured at the team and they moved outside._

_“Tetsuya, with me.“ he ordered sharply. The teal nodded and moved from next to Daiki._

_The Power Forward gave him a half-curious, half-annoyed look for dragging his partner away, but didn’t say anything and instead dragged Ryōta next to him, to be as far from Shōgo as physically possible. Not that he faulted the other._ _Haizaki Shōgo was not a pleasant company and if he could have, he **would** have kicked the silver-haired player already. His violent behaviour was causing a headache for the whole Club._

_They started the rounds quietly and Akashi hated himself for asking Tetsuya to run next to him. But the closer the teal was to him, the father he was from Shōgo. And Daiki would keep Shōgo away from Ryōta, so that was fine too. “Can you keep up, Tetsuya?“ he asked quietly._

_“Hai, Captain.“_

_Akashi twitched at the lie... but it was not the time to point it out. Not when Sanada was watching them with hawk-like gaze. Perhaps once they were father from the entrance. After all, while there were cameras all around the place (hidden of course, so most people didn’t even know about their existance) they didn’t record voice. So as long as they kept in mind to keep away from a certain spot or to angle themselves in a certain way, the cameras will not record even their mouths moving. Perhaps he was being paranoid... but that came from the realisation, that stuck him a few weeks ago._

_Teikō were trying to turn them against one another, step by step. He — they— would not have that._

_Akashi silently counted the rounds and after six, Tetsuya was looking very, very bad. “Tetsuya.“ he hissed, “We still have four rounds. No stopping.“_

_The Phantom gasped, sweat pouring down his face. “Noting to worry about, Akashi-kun, I’ll keep up.“_

_He was slowing down more and more, which was worrisome, but Akashi didn’t bother to stop the teal. Instead, he threw a look at Atsushi, who was the last of the First String, because he was being lazy, but it was still good enough not to get him into trouble. Atsushi would make sure Tetsuya will not fall back any further, which was all Akashi wanted. As long as the teal was where they could reach him, it was safe._

_Haizaki, not so surprisingly, was running at the very back, with some poor souls from the Third String. (How long would the silver-haired survive this place with such mentality, he didn’t know... but he didn’t exactly care. Haizaki could go and rot somewhere for all he cared.)_

_They were about halfway done, when one of the Third String members fell, breathing harshly obviously exhausted._

_Akashi didn’t know how much time had passed since they started, but that didn’t matter. Half of the rounds were done — this was the only way they measured the passing of time. How many exercises were done from what was required or how exhausted they were. Okay, sometimes he checked the Sun’s position for a better guess — they did not have clocks anywhere around here, only in the classrooms— but... he did that rarely. Doing it reminded him of how long everything was and how useless it was to wish for it to end sooner because it **would not end**. _

_They all froze and glanced at him — Haizaki, not surprisingly leered down at the fallen player. The next thing Akashi registered, was that Tetsuya was gone. Where could...? His thoughts were cut off, as he noticed the teal-haired boy next to their fallen teammate._

_“Fujiwara-kun...“ he heard the other call._

_Akashi slowly manoeuvred past the other players, knowing that they were probably being watched. Even before he could call out to Tetsuya or the other — Fujiwara, Tetsuya said his name was...— a group of grown-ups appeared, ordering them to continue the exercise._

_He watched as Matsuoka dragged the poor Third String player... ah, yes! Tetsuya told him about the kid. Fujiwara Yasu, rather talented and would have been the best of the Second String... but his body could not handle all the drugs. So instead they let him go without enhancement, but he slipped onto the Third String and Akashi feared to think of the day, when the alumni would grow tired of the fact, that Yasu’s body could not handle the poking and probing._

_But... Akashi thought morosely, that’s why they were the First String. So the others would have to endure less and thus, have a better chance at survival. (Even today, he could not understand, **how the hell** Teikō got away with all of this. The pain, the death...) _

_Akashi was snapped from his thoughts by Tetsuya’s voice. “Let him have a break...”_

_“Step aside, Subject 015.“ Masuoka leered._

_Tetsuya glared back and a part of Akashi almost snapped at the Phantom to let go... but then he noticed his eyes. Hard like steel and burning fiercely. Determination. Protectiveness. Tetsuya would not let the other go..._

_... and then he remembered. Remembered, that Tetsuya was the one, who spent the most time with the Second and Third String. The only one at the top, who looked below and helped. Akashi felt a sting of shame — he remembered Nijimura’s words, that regardless of which String one played for, they were **a team** and **he** would be the Captain. Not only for Daiki, Shintarō and the others... but all the Club. True, he never played with those players, but he was the Captain. They were his team. _

_And Tetsuya, like a real Captain, a friend... stood up for those weaker, than them. Extended a helping hand, when he didn’t._

_**He’s better than us,** his other self whispered with an odd tone. **He’s too good for this hellhole. He... He should lead... should be known...**_

_Akashi swallowed hard and wordlessly agreed with his other-self. Tetsuya was his student. He taught the teal to play basketball, to use Misdirection... but in exchange, the other taught him to care for everyone. Well, he **cared** anyway, but Tetsuya taught him to care for everyone **equally**. It was Tetsuya, who taught him, that equality, teamwork and bonds **mattered** even in a shit place, like Teikō. _

_He was snapped from his thoughts by a painful cry and other rising voices. The adults were now restraining Ryōta, Atsushi and Daiki, who were struggling to get free and help Yasu. No... not only Yasu._

_Yasu was bleeding, but it wasn’t anything too bad, he guessed... that is, useless he had some internal injuries. What made his blood boil was the sight of Tetsuya pinned to the ground and a man, cutting up his shirt with a blade, so that his back bled. The teal cried out in pain._

_“That is the price of insubordination and...“ one of the women said, but Akashi did not hear the rest of her sentence. The world around him went all too quiet._

_**Bastards, daring to harm what is ours. Thinking we’ll let it happen... we’re absolute and this is our team!** his inner self snarled. _

_As he saw Tetsuya and Yasu struggle, along with the other First String members... he **snapped**. He was the only one they hadn’t touched yet, as he had not made moves to react. So he was free. He lunged forwards and wretched the small blade from the man’s hand, sticky with Tetsuya’s blood. He stabbed the shocked bastard in the throat. _

_“Do. NOT. Touch. My. Team.“ he growled, as Tetsuya stood up, “Do. NOT. Dare. Giving. Me. Orders. I’m the one, who leads this team and I’m the one, who gives them orders.“_

_One of the women moved to grab his arm. “Subject 004 do not...“ Akashi turned to her and glared yanking on her coat. “Emperor, I warn you last time..!”_

_She fell to her knees. **“I’m absolute.“** he snarled, as he slit her throat. “This team is mine. I’m the Captain and if you want to lay a hand on either of them — regardless of which String— you’ll have to get through me first.“ _

_“They’re our team.“ a soft, chilly voice snarled poisonously. Akashi saw as Tetsuya walked next to him, clutching his scissors. (Huh? Had it fallen out without his notice? Most likely...)_

_“And you **won’t** touch them.“ Akashi snarled again. This time Tetsuya moved with him— i_ _n perfect sync— as if they were on the court, just moving towards the basket._

_He didn't know how long the mess lasted. But by the time they were done, his and Tetsuya’s shirts were dripping blood. Ah, so sad... he liked this shirt a lot. The team around them were silent, as they all looked at the six fallen bodies. A man and five women._

_Masuoka was gone... but they knew they’ll see the man again. Akashi dropped the blade with a dull thud and stared plainly at the bodies. They were dead. He’d killed them — or more precisely, he and Tetsuya had._

_His eyes snapped to the teal. “Your back...”_

_The Phantom sighed. “Hurts and it will probably scar... but I’ll survive if it gets cleaned properly.“ he offered the scissors with a chilling smile. “Conveniently sharp, Captain.”_

_Akashi returned the smile and his fingers curled around the handle. He nodded to the frozen team, all of them watching with fear... but there was something else too._

_“A-Akashi?“ Shintarō called in shock, watching him and Tetsuya, like a poor deer caught in a headlight._

_“You ki...killed them.“ Atsushi whispered, looking more cowed and fearful, than ever before._

_“They would have hurt or killed us.“ was Tetsuya’s deadpan answer._

_Akashi turned towards the door. “No one opposes me. And no one walks away alive, who tries. And certainly, no one hurts **my team**.“ _

_He felt sick form the blood sticking to his hands... but as long as his team was safe..._

_Today will have consequences, he knew that very well, but he would deal with those in their own time. For now, he just wanted a clean shirt and a shower._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and tell me your thoughts :)


	19. ᴀᴡᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇʀʀᴏʀ — ᴍɪᴅᴏʀɪᴍᴀ 『ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ』

**_14/06/20xx_ , _Wednesday_ ; Teikō** **Chūgakkō, Tokyo**

_Sei and Tetsu had **killed**._

_Sei and Tetsu had killed a group of adults to protect them all. Midorima could barely think, much less move from the spot, where he was. His feet seemed to be rooted..._

_“W-what was that?“ a terrified voice asked._

_The Shooting Guard sighed, snapped from his motionlessness by the question. The Second and Third String players stared at the spot, where their Captain and Phantom had been standing last before they simply turned on their heels and walked back into the gym._

_“Why did they do...“ another voice asked. Shimizu... someone. Midorima felt a spark of shame for not being able to recall the Second String player’s name, but his mind was still muddled with what had just transpired. (Besides, Teikō’s Basketball Club was huge. Rationally, he knew he would never be able to recall all the names.)_

_Midorima swallowed. “Because they care.“ he said, voice sounding calmer, than what he was feeling. Odd. He was on the verge of hysteria..._

_“Wh-what do you mean sempai?“_

_“Haven’t you heard them?“ he asked, “They lead this team. Seijūrō’s our Captain for a reason.“_

_“But **you’re** the Vice-cap.“ a Third-year murmured. _

_Midorima hummed, readjusting his glasses. “Officially I am. But... it’s always been Tetsuya, who did those duties. He helps Sei. Sei taught him and knows him. Tetsu knows him in return, better than I do. They work like an oiled machine. I only **wear** the jersey of the Vice-cap.“ he shrugged, “Not that it matters. Tetsu’s better at doing those things and on the better days... he’s the one, who can make Sei pause and think over the situation, whatever it may be. I’m only Vice-cap on paper. Better remember that.” _

_“Yea.“ Dai murmured, “Safer for us all. Because what Tetsu says... that’s most of the time, something Sei said. Or if he hadn’t, he would have said, if he were there, instead of Tetsu.”_

_The other players nodded hurriedly in understanding. Although Midorima could feel the nervousness rolling off of the other players. And now only the four of them were here... but maybe the others wondered if they were like Sei and Tetsu? Or were they just looking at them oddly, because they were using each others’ given names? Probably._

_“Ne... ne, Kise-sempai? Are you alright?“_

_Midorima’s eyes snapped over to the blonde at the call. “Ryō?“ he inquired peering at the Small Forward._

_Ryō just stood there, frozen, yet trembling, eyes wide and unseeing, as he stared at the red patches on the ground. Midorima hurried over grabbing the blonde’s hand. “Ryōta.“_

_“What’s with Ta-chin?“_

_Midorima cursed colourfully, as he felt the blonde’s trembling. Their Center walked closer and put a large hand on Ryō’s shoulder. “Ta-chin! Hey, it’s okay. We’re okay now.“_

_At that, a loud sob broke from the blonde and Midorima cursed in his mind again. “Atsu, go, find Tsuki and take him to the nurse with her. I’m guessing he’s in shock.” his eyes landed on the blonde again, “Ryō?“_

_The blonde’s body shook and a small squeal left his mouth. “B-blood.“_

_“Close your eyes!” Dai immediately ordered, hearing the word, no matter how soft. Ah, all this probing did come in handy in such situations — enhanced senses and all. (But then again, if the bastards weren’t probing at them all, they would not need these things...)_

_Midorima watched, as Atsu held the blonde close to his side and guided him inside, whispering something, that was meant to be calming._

_“What’s with him?“_

_Midorima groaned softly. “Shock. Or... probably Haemophobia. Or maybe both.” he wasn’t okay either. His legs felt like jelly and his hands were trembling too. He stole a glance at Dai — the only one, who remained from the First String, because he didn’t give a flying fuck about Haizaki,— and made a gesture._

_“Let’s go in. Everyone. Get a shower... and we’ll meet tomorrow at the cafeteria. Try getting tables close to us.“ he said, glancing at the other shaken players._

_They all nodded hurriedly. “S-sempai?“_

_Midorima slowly walked towards the door, as the others followed. “I... not that I’m complaining... they did just save us from a lot of... pain... but the Captain didn’t look like himself. Neither did Kuroko-sempai, for that matter.“_

_“Tetsu... was just reacting, I guess.“ Dai murmured, “But you’re right about the Captain.“_

_Midorima glared sharply. “ **Daiki!** ” he hissed warningly. The fewer people knew about Sei’s split personality, the better. _

_The Power Forward shrugged. “Look... they have to live with him too. Sei **is** the Captain of the whole Club. Better if they know at least something. Besides... they did just protect us.“ he murmured. _

_“Know about what?“ someone else asked._

_Midorima sighed. “As a... side effect of what they’re doing...“ he made a gesture with his hands, “Sei developed a split personality. So it’s like two drastically different people share the same body... but at the same time, it’s the very same person.”_

_“One’s the calm Akashi you all know. The caring one.“ Dai supplied, as the others nodded, “The other is bloodthirsty as Hell and doesn’t tolerate any sort of trouble or insubordination. Trust me, after today, you’ll know which side of Akashi is looking at you if he calls for you.“_

_“If it’s this side of him,“ Midorima said quietly, “Just do as he says. Do not protest, do not ask why. Just do it.“_

_“Wonderful... instead of having to deal with crazy adults, now we have a crazy Captain too.“ someone murmured from the back. Midorima glared sharply and the kid — a honey blonde-haired one with grey-blue eyes,— shrunk._

_“Do not say such words. He’s not crazy. Both sides of him are rational enough, as long as something he deems important —like us, the **team** — is not threatened.“ he said sharply, “He snapped because we were in danger. He — they were protecting us. Is that clear?” _

_The others nodded, the blonde hanging his head low. “C-clear, sempai.“_

_“The least you can do is to follow him.“ Dai said, “He’s harsh and dangerous sometimes, but he’s still safer to be around than the alumni. Do you know why?“_

_The others all shared looks and this time a black-haired kid, whom Midorima guessed was called Ishikawa, shook his head. “Iie, sempai.“_

_“That’s because he’s our Captain, first and foremost,“ he said in a low tone, readjusting his glasses, “and he wants us protected, no matter the price. The alumni are using us, they want to break us. Sei wants us safe. So tell me, who would you rather be around? A bloodthirsty Akashi, who demands obedience but cares and shields us all or a mad scientist, who wants to fill his pocket with money and does not care for us?”_

_There was a heartbeat of silence and then the batch answered as one. “The Captain.“_

_Midorima nodded. “Thought so. Keep quiet and trust Sei and Tetsu’s judgement. Trust our judgement and we may someday get out of this hell.“_

_The nods and soft words were enough reassurance. This would be enough. The Strings would not protest. Even if they would never dare to get close to Sei again... it didn’t matter. Tetsu and himself could supervise the Strings and Sei can just be the Captain from three-steps reach._

* * *

**_20xx/06/15_ , _Thursday_**

_The next day, when Tetsu and Sei arrived, Midorima was already there, doing some of the warm-ups with the Second String. Afraid of the redhead’s wrath, they asked him to direct their training that day and Midorima had seen no reason to decline._

_He could see the gratitude in the eyes of many for what happened yesterday. The most grateful though, it seemed Fujiwara was. There was weariness in his eyes, as his gaze flicked to the Phantom and Sei... but gratitude was also there._

_“I see you already started their training, Shintarō.“ Sei said as he nodded to the other. They all murmured their greetings, looking anywhere, but straight at Akashi._

_Not that Midorima blamed them. He had wondered when the second personality appeared... how to handle the redhead and it had taken him some time to realise, that as long as the team was safe and he didn’t contradict Akashi forcefully... it was okay._

_“Yes, I thought I might take over today, for Kuroko.“ he said carefully, knowing that they were probably being watched. “He will need the extra training with Aomine.“ he murmured, throwing a sidelong glance at the Phantom._

_Kuroko didn’t react and instead murmured something about finding the aforementioned Power Forward. Midorima twitched throwing a look at the other players, who seemed to have frozen with the arrival of the two. “No slacking off!” he warned._

_All the players looked away and continued the training in tense silence. Midorima swallowed hard, knowing that what happened would leave its mark on the entire Club. The six of them had already been feared and admired in equal measures. After that..._

_... it might just be worse, creating an even greater wedge in the entire Club. He growled quietly._

_He hated Teikō. If only they could escape..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please share your thoughts. Comments are my life-force :)


	20. ꜰᴇᴇʙʟᴇ ʀᴇꜱɪꜱᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ — ᴍᴜʀᴀꜱᴀᴋɪʙᴀʀᴀ

**_11th July, Wednesday_ **

Murasakibara didn’t even want to get out of bed. (But he still did, careful not to wake his roomates, because he did _not_ want to be punished for being late...)

These two weeks would destroy them, he thought... that is, unless Sei-chin or Tet-chin (or the two of them together) didn’t do something very, _very_ fast. A part of him wanted his two loving — and terrifying— brothers to do something. Another said, that the others would think of them as even bigger monsters, even though Sei-chin and Tet-chin did nothing but _protect_ them.

All of them. Always. Without fail.

That was the reason Murasakibara Atsushi admired his tiniest brothers. Because while they were tiny physically, their hearts were bigger, than anyone he had ever met before and they _cared_ without having any ulterior motives. (True, Dai-chin, Ta-chin, Shi-chin and Sa-chin were like that too, but those two had been the very first ones and it was something Murasakibara will never forget.)

They cared and put the team first, no matter the price. The _team_ as a whole, not just the First String. That’s why everyone in the Club admired, respected and feared them at the same time. That was why everyone followed them and treated even Tet-chin — who had had to struggle tooth and nail at first, to make it to the First String,— with respect. And while it was Shi-chin, who was supposed to be the Vice-captain... it was always Tet-chin, whom people turned to. Because Tet-chin was as good at some things, as Sei-chin.

His basketball was very, _very_ different from what the rest of them were capable of, but Tet-chin was, in Murasakibara’s opinion, the reason why their team was still a _team_. Tet-chin was the reason, why the Strings hadn’t fallen apart, drowning in anarchy. Tet-chin (and Sa-chin too) was the reason the seven of them scrambled to make contacts, no matter the secrecy, even after Teikō forced the _Kiseki no Sedai_ apart.

Tet-chin was the one, who had taken the first steps towards the seven of them becoming family when their parents didn’t care or couldn’t know.

He quickly and quietly got ready and he was just about to leave his room, when Muro-chin woke up and blinked at him, trying to chase away sleep from his eyes.

“Atsushi? Where are you going so early?“

“Well...“ he drawled quietly, mindful of Liu still sleeping. (He had too many sleepless nights since starting Teikō... he cherished sleep and so he _never_ woke others, useless necessary.)

There was a soft, but powerful knock on the door. “Atsushi, are you ready? We’ve to go.“

Murasakibara sighed, as his black-haired friend (could he call Muro-chin that? _Probably_.) blinked at him in confusion and disbelief. “What does Akashi want at the crack of dawn?“ he asked, disbelief and anger mixing in his tone. “Does he not know the value of proper rest?“

 _‘He does, Muro-chin. We all do, better than most.‘_ Murasakibara thought wearily.

“Aka-chin just makes sure I won’t be late.“ he said softly, placing his hand on the doorknob. _‘So neither of us will have to watch someone needlessly punished for tardiness.‘_ he added mentally.

Himuro arched an eyebrow. “Late?“

Another knock. “Atsushi. You know Sanada-kantoku does not tolerate tardiness. Come now or I will have to go in and I can’t promise I won’t wake your roommates in the process.” came the muffled warning trough the door.

Murasakibara sighed. “Gotta go. Take a nap, Muro-chin.“ he turned away quickly, before the American returnee could say anything and squeezed himself out, shutting the door softly but firmly.

“Morning, Sei-chin.“ he whispered with a small smile. In the gloom of the dawn with most people still asleep he could allow this small gesture of brotherhood.

“Good morning, Atsushi.“ the redhead greeted, pressing two energy bars into his hand. “No time for breakfast, so eat those.“ he said, as he grabbed another for himself. Murasakibara didn’t protest, merely wondered who had brought these. Tet-chin, Sei-chin or Sa-chin... the three of them were the most likely to keep these sort of things in mind.

Shrugging mentally, he peeled off the wrapping and ate one in three bites and by the time all of them were by the door — it seemed Sa-chin had been successful in waking Dai-chin in time,— the bars were gone.

* * *

The training was no lighter it seemed, that Teikō was _even tougher_ with the training than before. They started with warm-ups and then they ran four laps around the school. After that, they have split up again. Murasakibara shuffled trough the corridors, head down as four adults in white took him to a room again. They checked some data — he didn’t care anymore, what they were looking for, he just learned to complete what they asked of him mechanically and tried his best to ignore the needles, the pills and the sickening smell of antiseptic.

When they were satisfied with whatever they found, they had him go back into the separate gym and by the time he found Ryō-chin and Shi-chin by the half-court line, as far from each other, as possible, faces passive. Shi-chin was just holding his ball, while Ryō-chin dribbled it lazily. (Tet-chin, Dai-chan and Sei-chin were probably training together too if two of his brothers were here. After all, Tet-chin’s skills worked best with those two.)

He didn’t need to wonder, why those three were here. He knew well. The exercise was always the same — defend the basket against two opponents. What made it harder, that both of them had a ball, so he had to anticipate, which of them would be faster, to start an assault.

Shi-chin’s high shots were not meant to be caught... but during these sessions, the alumni limited how high Shi-chin could shoot. The exercise was simple. He had to block their shots, which was easier said than done. Even if Shi-chin didn’t shoot as high, as usual, his shots were hard to block and Ryō-chin’s copies were a pain too. He could never guess if the blonde would just randomly shoot in his style or copy someone. But still, he took his place under the basket and looked at the two with determination.

The buzzer sounded, as a sign for them to start. His eyes drifted between the two, wondering who would start. Shi-chin took his stance... but then Ryō-chin shot forwards with great speed and Murasakibara could not help, but wonder, as he moved to defend.

‘What now, Ryō-chin? You play your own game or you gonna copy Dai-chin? Or maybe Sei-chin?‘

The blonde jumped and Murasakibara moved to defend as the blonde pulled his hand back suddenly and threw the ball form behind his back, so Murasakibara could not reach. He raised his hand, reaching for the ball...

* * *

He should have expected that failure will be followed by pain. Yet, he naively thought that with their teams nearby, Teikō will be more cautious. Of course, they weren’t.

Each blow — all across his body— had been painful, forcing the oxygen out of his lungs. Wonderful, because this would mean bruises all across his skin. (Well, at least the bastards were careful enough to contain their blows to his back and chest, where the shirt would cover it up.) At least, he would not have to explain the bruises that would surely form by the end of the day...

And on top of it, one of the men injected that detestable yellow something into him. He didn’t know what it was made of. But he knew it was not meant to have any effect on his performance. Shi-chin could not guess either, what it was, but he had said, that it confused his brain into believing he was in immense pain.

And damn it, that pain might just be something like phantom pain, or at least Sei-chin had said... but it _hurt_ . It hurt _so much_.

The bruises hurt anyway and the injected something made the pain feel even worse. He could barely stand, when half an hour later, a man came, telling him that Sanada wanted to see them. Murasakibara stood with great effort, telling himself that the pain was mostly in his head — it didn’t help at all.

He breathed slowly and deeply to get through the pain, as he walked towards the upper level and the First String Gym. It was always there, where they gathered. By the time he arrived, the others were there. They were all sweating and looked weary, but not as tired, as they usually were after a late session in the afternoon.

Something told him, that Teikō had been _gentler_ , than usual, because they had a plan...

“You will stand up as a team again.“ Sanada ordered coldly, “And verse Rakuzan, as they are the most skilled team present. Since they will be missing their Power Guard, choose someone from the other teams, to fill in the post, as only the First String of each school is present.”

Murasakibra’s breath hitched. Playing a match against Sei-chin’s team? That didn’t sound so good, for some reason... in fact, it made his stomach feel heavy as if he’d eaten rocks.

“And of course, you _win_.“ Matsuoka stated sharply. “Play the way you played during the three Nationals.”

The pain was overtaken by a wave of nausea, as he stole a glance at his siblings. Sa-chin gasped, her eyes going wide. Murasakibara swallowed hard. During those three Nationals, they hadn’t played... they _destroyed_ their opponents.

“Why would we?“ Tet-chin asked, tone soft like silk, but cold as ice. “Why would we play that way? We’re not longer Teikō’s students.”

Murasakibara almost snapped at his tiny brother to keep quiet, but Sanada was faster. He was in front of the Phantom in two long strides and hit him hard — yet, Murasakibara knew it would not leave a mark. Sanada was too careful for that. Tet-chin took a step back and he saw the tears gather in the corner of his eyes, from the blow’s force.

“You know the consequences of disobedience and failure, _Subject 015.”_

Murasakibara flinched at the poisonous tone. Sanada looked up, his sharp eyes cutting into his very soul. Murasakibara almost shivered and he hated himself for that weakness and... with every passing minute, he hated Teikō even more.

“Any other protests?“ Masuoka asked.

Mursakibara swallowed the protests, that were on his tongue. He could see that the others did the same, but Sei-chin’s cheterocromic gaze conveyed the destructive mood he was in. He looked away but was glad that at least, Muro-chin will not have to participate in the massacre, that would follow on the court. (Because no matter how good Rakuzan were, Sei-chin will not allow them to lose, if their well-being was on the line. Which meant, he was willing to crush even Rakuzan, no matter how much he respected his current teammates.)

“What’s our saying?“ Sanada demanded.

They answered as one, tone low. Defeated, even though they were taught to be victors, no matter the price. _“Hyakku notataki, hyakku no shōri.”_

Murasakibara wished he could forget these words... but they were burned into his mind.

* * *

They met their teams an hour later and Murasakibara stood in blue practice jersey, as Sei-chin made the offer to the teams. They seemed shocked, but at the same time, Rakuzan seemed curious to try their skills against them. Sei-chin trained them in the easy ways of Teikō and that made them less anxious to play. Murasakibara had to admit, that so far, Rakuzan had been the most successful in keeping up with the routine they’d been given and that made him respect the redhead’s team just a little bit more.

“But... Sei-chan...“ the Vice-captain called. (Murasakibara absently wondered, what the Shooting Guard had done, to earn the honour of calling Sei that, without having to fear for his life. Maybe he’d ask later?)

“Yes, Reo?“

“Uh... if you play with them,“ the black-haired player asked, gesturing at the whole Kiseki and Murasakibara found, that he didn’t mind standing on the same side, as his siblings. He had looked forward to playing with them again. Of course, the circumstances were not ideal — far from it— but... it would be nice to stand with them again. He could trust them to carry the game, while he defended, like always. “...we’ll be a member short.”

Sei-chin nodded. “I’m aware of that.“ his gaze slid over to Tōō, “So for this game, I would like to ask Imayoshi Shōichi to lead you.”

Tōō’s Captain blinked at Sei-chin, obviously taken aback. And then, he gave a sweet smile... that was almost as creepy, as Tet-chin’s when he was in a dark mood. _‘Eeh, Dai-chin’s Captain is someone to keep an eye on.‘_ he told himself.

“May I ask why you chose _me_?“

Sei-chin’s gaze was unwavering and intimidating as always. “I’ve seen Tōō play and I recognise a skilled tactician when I see one. I admit, our play stiles are similar, in certain aspects. Besides, you’re in a Power Guard position, too. That seems good enough of a reason.“

The Tōō player eyed Sei-chin for a long moment and then nodded. “Very well.“

Sei-chin’s eyes flashed and then he looked at Rakuzan. “You follow him the way you follow me and... don’t hold back.”

Rakuzan shared a few glances. “If you say so, Sei-chan...”

* * *

Not long after, they stood on one side of the court in the First String gym, wearing a blue practice jersey, while Rakuzan and Imayoshi wore yellow.

Murasakibara sat on the bench, glancing at the team and then at the other teams, who were scattered all around to watch the match. Murasakibara felt the dread creep up his spine, like an icy snake.

“I don’t want to crush them, Sei-chin.“ he murmured, “You said they were good to you, like the others to us. I don’t want to.“

“Imayoshi’s annoying sometimes,“ Dai-chin murmured, his words barely a whisper, “but I don’t want to break him either. If we play that way... even people like him, no matter their mental strength, might break.”

Sei-chin’s eyes spoke of his reluctance, to do that to his team, what they were planning to do. But his words were sharp. “Enough. We will _win_ this match. You know your work. For now, no tactics. Just play as you would... strategics from the second quarter if needed.“

Everyone nodded. “Ne~ will your Phantom play too?“ Ryō-chin asked, gesturing at Rakuzan. Murasakibara shifted his eyes, just like everyone. His gaze sought the silver-haired male, who was so similar to Tet-chin, yet at the same time, was very different.

“Hai.“ Sei-chin answered, “Chihiro is in the starting line up. Remember, Shōichi replaced _me_ on the team. Ryōta, you start. Tetsuya you will come in for the second and fourth quarters.“

Tet-chin glanced at Sei-chin and then nodded. “Hai, Captain.”

Kaijō’s coach, who was acting as the referee, blew the whistle. They lined up and Murasakibara stared at the dark-skinned player opposite him. Nebuya... one of the Uncrowned Kings. Well, at least this match was ought to be interesting.

_Winning was everything._

Murasakibara twitched, as the words slithered into his mind. He hated those words, he hated that mentality. He hated the pain that still lingered from morning, but they _had_ to win.

(That dull pain was the reminder of what they would get, if they lost. The intsructions had been clear, if unspoken. Teikō wanted them to win with an over 100-point score. They wanted Rakuzan _crushed_ , to remind everyone of their strenght. Of Teikō’s absolute _superiority_. He was so, so glad, that Muro-chin was not on court. He would have never been able to look at his friend again, if Muro-chin had to stand on the other side now. He couldn’t even imagine what Sei-chin and Dai-chin — and maybe even Sa-chin, because she was Tōō too and in a way, Imayoshi was her Captain too, no matter how odd that may sound— were feeling.)

The coach blew the whistle and tossed the ball into the air. Murasakibara jumped with all his strength and snatched the ball from Nebuya just by a few centimetres and immediately sent it towards Dai-chin.

The match started. (The blue and white of the practice jersey was a bit different from the official one they used to wear, but it was still close enough to bring back the memories. The memories of the pain they only escaped by winning...)

_Winning was everything._

And they had to win even if it meant breaking their bonds, even if their current teams would see them as monsters, after this... ~~Weren’t they monsters, _freaks_ anyway? Their teams were just unaware.~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments :)
> 
> BTW, guys, does anyone know if there is a set date for Theme Weeks/Days (like AkaKuro Week, AoKuro Day/Week and all that...). And if there IS a set date... Where will I find them?  
> Actually... How do these "entries" for a Theme Day/Week work? 🤨  
> I'm rather new to KnB fandom and I've never even considered writing something for events like this in any other fandom either... So I have no clue at all. If someone were to help explain or direct me to a page/post that explains these sort of things, I would be infinitely grateful. 💖


	21. ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ ɪ – ᴋᴀᴢᴜɴᴀʀɪ

**_11th July, Wednesday_ **

Kazunari had no idea where his friend and roommate had disappeared off to, even before he woke up... and how the hell had Shin-chan managed to be so quiet? He was a light-sleeper, or so he liked to think. Perhaps these past two days of murderous training made him sleep so deeply, that he’d missed his friend waking up?

Thought, neither of the _Kiseki_ were present and even Tōō’s manager was gone. As Susa, their Vice-cap said, she never really left Aomine alone. Kazunari didn’t understand, why she was like that — Aomine didn’t seem like the boyfriend type.

Still, as they were having breakfast, he couldn’t help, but ask, looking at Tōō. “Are they dating or something? I mean Aomine and your manager.“

Tōō shared looks and then Susa shook his head. “No, and if you don’t want a broken nose, you never ask Aomine that. He rather clearly referred to Momoi-chan, as his sister a few weeks after they joined the Club and they certainly treat each other, as such, when they think no one can see.”

Kazunari blinked. That was unexpected. “I see.“ Tōō’s Power Forward hadn’t come off as a loving person... but then again, he had never thought he’d see Shin-chan _agitated_. Ever since they arrived in this camp, the Shooting Guard’s back was like a taut bowstring, ready to snap any moment.

Something _wasn’t okay,_ that much he could tell. It was just Wednesday and the amount of bloodlust and wickedness, that seemed to roll our of every _Kiseki_ — even the seemingly harmless Phantom Sixth,— was rather disconcerting. And Shin-chan’s unexpected disappearance —the apparent departure of the entire Teikō group, to be precise, was not calming at all.

As he was eating his breakfast, he found himself quietly praying to the kami, that the Teikō-returnees would not kill each other, wherever they currently were. (He was most afraid of the redhead. Akashi had proven his merciless nature in these past two days and Kazunari was honestly stunned the _Kiseki_ had even survived under his leadership.) How the hell was Rakuzan dealing with the constant absolutism of the midget?

They ate in content silence, although they did randomly make small talks with each other. With the Teikō students gone, breakfast was oddly light-hearted and pleasant. After two painfully quiet mornings, this was a refreshing change, but he was not fooled.

The moment the _Kiseki_ returned, the tension would be back, of that he was sure. (He wondered not for the first time since he’d met Shin-chan, what had happened in Teikō, to cause such a tension between them. He had played basketball in Junior High — and he had played against the _Kiseki_ and they’d crushed his team mercilessly,— and while they’d obviously split up because of different schools, like the _Kiseki,_ he still texted and met them from time to time.)

He shook the thoughts away and focused on his food. Shin-chan and the others would surely be back soon. Shin-chan had never been one to be late for practice... but here, he seemed to make it to the designed gym even before the rest of them along with whichever _Kiseki_ was to be around for the day. And each time that happened, Kazunari found himself shivering and wishing for a winter coat, as the air around the three, regardless of the combination was always the same.

Cold and stifling.

 _‘Stop. It’s not like they’ll murder each other.‘_ he took another bite of his food, _‘Probably.‘_

* * *

They met the _Kiseki_ in front of the entrance of the school. They seemed somewhat dishevelled... and there was even more bloodlust rolling off of them, than ever before. Kazunari shivered, as he glanced at Akashi.

The mismatched gaze... it was like looking at a monster, straight out of his worst nightmare. Oddly enough, Aomine and even Kuroko had similar expressions. Shin-chan and the other two were just... eerily blank-faced as if they’d taken a page out of Kuroko’s book. Seeing them like that, standing behind the redhead made him remember the day his team had faced Teikō.

_He looked at the team on the other side, who were quietly conversing with each other, but there were no smiles on their faces. Their stances were loose, almost bored, yet still screaming confidence. They were second-years, like him, but there was something about them, that bothered him._

_The elegant Kanji on their jersey seemed to be taunting. **Teikō.**_

_Then, as if sensing his gaze six pairs of multicoloured eyes — and a seventh one, from behind them— were raised and they caught his gaze._

_Dark blue. Green. Brown. Purple. Dark pink. Icy blue. Red-and-gold._

_Sharp, murderous eyes... and their very stance oozed something sinister, something nameless and inhuman. Terror gripped his heart and for a moment, his breath was caught in his throat. Something beastly sparked in the dark blue gaze of the Power Forward and every instinct he had screamed at him to **run** , the moment the five players moved to stand on the court. _

_They moved as one, in complete sync, as if dragged on strings, elegant, soundless and dangerous, like beasts from another world._

The feeling was the very same. Cold dread, that made him sweat and made his heart skip a beat. And as Akashi stepped forward and the other five remained unmoving, the cold feeling in him intensified. There was something in those mismatched eyes, that made him wonder... was the redhead sane?

“Eh, where you’ve been, Captain?“ Hayama asked curiously. The easy-going air, which seemed to surround the blonde all the time had suddenly disappeared as if Hayama was feeling the same coldness, which he was struggling with.

“We just had a short meeting with Sanada-kantoku, Kōtaro.“

Kazunari twitched. What was with that odd habit of Akashi’s calling everyone by their given names? That, he admitted, added to the intimidating nature of the redhead... but he wondered if anyone from his former team had ever tried to stop him from addressing them by given names. Did it not bother the _Kiseki_ at all? Or were they just too used to it by now?

“What for?“ Nebuya asked, “It’s so early...“

“We just wanted to settle some things.“ Akashi stated smoothly, but there was something odd in his tone, which Kazunari hadn’t heard since they arrived. Behind the redhead, the other Miracles seemed even tenser, than before. “He would like to see your skills. So we...“ here the redhead made an unmistakable gesture at the other rainbow-haired players, “would be playing against you.“

Kazunari twitched. There was something in those words, that made his hackles rise. He stole a glance at his friend. Shin-chan was still unmoved and unreadable, but there was some sort of dangerous air around him. Akashi, Kuroko and Aomine felt the most dangerous at the moment... but Shin-chan and the other two weren’t innocent children either.

“But... Sei-chan...“

Kazunari’s gaze slid from the _Kiseki_ to Rakuzan. They looked a bit freaked out, yet excited, but also worried and confused “Yes, Reo?“ Akashi asked.

“If you play with them...“ Mibuchi gestured at the silent gathering of rainbows (huh, wasn’t that funny? All of them had names with colours and their hair was colourful too...) “if you play with them... we’ll be a member short.“

Akashi wasn’t even ruffled, as he nodded, just plainly acknowledging the fact. And so... Tōō’s Captain was chosen to lead Rakuzan, with the agreement of both parties, after a blood-chilling warning from Akashi, meant for Rakuzan. “You follow him the way you follow me... and don’t hold back.”

The words sent a violent shudder trough Kazunari. Stealing a glance at the Miracles and seeing their icy masks of indifference... he could tell that something was up.

* * *

They took their seats, the teams mingling, the way they pleased, although he noted that the Uncrowned King, Kagami and Himuro sat next to each other, Kasamatsu and Wakamatsu also nearby. Deciding to join the almost-“Miracle Partners Club“ that seemed to have formed, he slid into a seat next to Yōsen’s Shooting Guard.

“Sumimansen, I hope I’m not intruding.“

Those nearby threw him a glance and Himuro nodded. “Feel free to join.“

The two teams lined up and Kazunari glanced at Tōō. “What do you think about Akashi choosing your Captain to lead his team for now?“

Tōō shared looks, but in the end, it was their coach, who answered. “A smart, tactical move. He was correct, when he said, that his and Imayoshi’s tactical thinking is similar. Both of them are the playmakers of the teams and as he said, share the same position, which came in handy. Imayoshi hadn’t played with the Uncrowned Kings, but he had played _against_ them before. And they know enough of each other’s abilities, to make it work, even with this on-the-spot arrangement.“

“And they would not contradict him.“ Himuro murmured, as they watched the tipoff. Murasakibara won and the ball landed in Aomine’s possession and the Power Forward moved without thinking.

Kazunari blinked at those words. “What are you saying?“

“Akashi.“ Himuro said again, his black eyes on the court, “Atsushi had made it clear, that Akashi Seijūrō is not a person you contradict or disobey. Considering how he forced Taiga to his knees — literally— during Suicide Run... I think I can understand why.“

Kazunari hummed.

“I remember Kise saying the brat was — is fond of carrying around scissors and threatening people with it. And according to him... it’s goddamn effective in intimidating others.“ Kasamatsu added

He opened his mouth to say something, but then the buzzer sounded. Two points for the _Kiseki_. Kazunari turned towards the court again, just to see the ball leave the net completely and even before he could take a breath, there was Kuroko and he passed the ball straight to Shin-chan, who was already jumping on the half-court line. The ball flew in a high arc and landed in the basket and once more, Kuroko dodged Mayuzumi and passed the ball. This time to Akashi.

“N-Nani? What the hell was that?!” Wakamatsu asked, “That thing just went in and Midorima already had it back there?!”

“Kuroko was under the basket, waiting.“ Kazunari pointed out sharply, stealing a glance at Tōō’s Vice-captain. “His passes are good. He might be the weakest of the six, but...“

“He’s still one of them.“ his coach finished and that was the moment, when Kazunari realised, that all their coaches were sitting a row above them, right next to each other. “Still talented in his own, special way.”

“Ah... shouldn’t someone be down there with the teams?“ he asked, looking precisely at Rakuzan’s coach, considering all his players were down there.

The man shook his head. “Not really. They know what to do. Imayoshi Shōchi is a good Captain... and from what I’ve been told, Akashi was responsible for the training of the Kiseki, even before they gained their moniker and according to him, a while after gaining said moniker, they were left to fend for themselves, mostly. In matches, that is. He and Kuroko Tetsuya devised the tactics, while the coach dropped in some time during the game to check on their progress.”

He almost gaped at that. Who leaves a bunch of Junior High kids on their own without adult supervision? Especially First Years...

There was another score change. It seemed Teikō — because now, Shin-chan and his (former) teammates were playing for Teikō again,— was leading. It wasn’t as bad, as he would have guessed for the first quarter from that bunch... but it was still shocking.

Only the first quarter and both teams were around twenty points... the Hell?! _‘Okay, not taking my eyes off of the court now.‘_

* * *

During the break, he heard some whispers from Imayoshi and Rakuzan — particularly, their Vice-cap— but he couldn’t make out much. His eyes slid over to the other side, where Teikō’s team sat. Well, Kuroko, Aomine and Kise were on the bench. Murasakibara sat on the ground, while Akashi and Shin-chan remained standing. He raised an eyebrow.

No words? No strategics from Akashi? Or from Shin-chan?

He glanced at those, who sat next to him. “Don’t you think it’s odd they’re not even trying to strategise?“

“Strategise?  _ Them? _ “ Wakamatsu snorted, making a gesture towards Teikō. “The only thing that resembles team-play down there is how Kuroko passes the ball around. Otherwise, Aomine kept moving around the Generals with sheer speed. Akashi kept flooring Imayoshi and they can barely get through Murasakibara!”

“There’s no strategy... just sheer overwhelming skill.“ Himuro murmured and the way he said it, made Kazunari shiver.

“That’s unlike Akashi.“ Rakuzan’s coach murmured, “He’s planning something...“

Those words made him shiver even more. To think they could keep up with Rakuzan even without proper team play... He looked fearfully towards the court, just as the second quarter started and this time, instead of Kise, Kuroko walked onto the court, the blonde remaining seated on the bench, as Tōō’s manager stood next to him.

As the teams took their positions again, Kazunari caught his partner’s eyes and his breath hitched.

Midorima’s green gaze was dead and cold... it looked like the Shooting Guard was ready to kill. It was unlike what he’d seen from the Oha Asa addict, up till this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments :)


	22. ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ ɪɪ — ᴍᴏᴍᴏɪ

**_11th July, Wednesday_ **

The boys came down from court and sat, reaching for their bottles to drink. Silence hung around them, heavy and poisonous. It was just the end of the first quarter and Rakuzan was holding up fine... but her brothers were holding back. A shiver crept up her spine, as Sanada appeared, almost out of nowhere, like Tetsu. His brown eyes were cold.

“Remember what was said.“ he warned, tone low, “Do not show mercy. If you allow them to win or walk off of the court calmly, you know the consequences.“ Sanada’s hand landed on her shoulder and she froze.

The boys’ eyes flashed and Dai seemed ready to pounce, but a mere warning glance from Sei stopped him.

“You’re _students_ of Teikō. Act like it.“ Sanada warned before there was a whistle.

She loosened up a little, when the man was gone, but seeing her brothers walk back to court with their eyes so dark... ready to kill, was not good. If they channelled their feelings trough their game now, it may injure someone...

 _‘No, don’t think that! They’ll be careful.‘_ she chided herself.

The ball landed in Sei’s possession rather fast, but Imayoshi-san was marking him. Not that it did anything. Sei increased the speed of his dribbling and moved, calculating Imayoshi’s intensions perfectly, making him trip over his own feet. Sei looked at Imayoshi with a cold mask. “Your head’s held too high.“

Then, he passed the ball, but Mayuzumi snatched it away, landing it in Hayama’s possession, who drove down the court and attempted a shot. Atsu caught it, giving him a cold, bored look. “Children should not play...“ he drawled, lazily throwing the ball.

Tetsu appeared and redirected it to Dai, who was being guarded by Mibuchi. Dai sneered and with a fast streetball trick dodged, speeding past Rakuzan. Nebuya jumped to defend, but in the last moment, Dai shifted and tossed the ball from behind the hoop.

Another score change.

Mayuzumi barely touched the ball, when Sei appeared, having calculated the trajectory and caught it. Even before someone from Rakuzan could think of stopping him, Sei threw the ball towards Shin, who was already in the air, having taken his shooting position. The ball landed in his grip perfectly — _like always_ — and the High Projectile Three was sent again, falling into the basket so perfectly, that it barely disturbed the net.

With every passing minute, she could feel the growing uneasiness in the gym. Ever since the second quarter started, Rakuzan seemed to be fumbling and basket after basket went inside for her brothers.

Tetsu and Sei continuously shut down Imayoshi’s attempts and between the two of them, Mayuzumi himself was having a hard time making use of his skills. She could see, that they had the “biggest“ problem with Mibuchi, but so far, he wasn’t too bothersome. While he got the ball more than other Rakuzan players, Atsu kept blocking his shots without fail and she could see that as much as they didn’t want to crush anyone, Atsu was starting to lose his patience.

It was slowly becoming normal. Tetsu and Sei snatched the ball from Rakuzan and between the threes and Dai’s bloodlust... Rakuzan was actually having a hard time keeping up. Her brothers were purposefully playing with the least possible teamwork, relying on their skills as Teikō would demand... but even this was too much.

By the next break, there was another sixteen point plus, while Rakuzan had only scored a three-pointer. The uneasiness and the silence in the gym were growing. She could feel the stared of their teams and coaches. She wasn’t a fool — people had most likely noticed by now, that her brothers weren’t playing in the usual, fair-play way. That they were toying with Rauzan and Imayoshi, despite the opposing team’s great skill.

There were no words exchanged between them. There was no need —they could read each other like an open book and suffering was written all over them. Crushing Rakuzan like this, was not something they took pleasure in. Momoi swallowed her tears, as they stood once more.

“Ryōta, you’re in. The last quarter will be Tetsuya’s.“ Sei ordered evenly.

Her blonde brother stood as him and Tetsu gave each other a small high five. Ryō’s eyes were cold, as he walked in with the others. He marked Hayama — to the annoyance of the other blonde— and had even successfully copied his Five Finger Dribble...

* * *

Her eyes settled on the scoreboard and dread filled every fibre of her being. They’d won, as ordered, but at what price?

**111 — 52**

She raised her eyes to the seats, as the two teams bowed to one another. Fear, anger, disgust, shock and _even more_ _ **fear**_. That was what she could see in their teams’ eyes.

“...crushed...”

“...Teikō.... powerful...”

“... mocking Imayoshi...”

“... inhuman...”

“...monsters...ball...”

Those were just tiny things she caught from the many conversations, but it was already more than what she could handle. She knew what their teams thought of them now. Her brothers walked back to the bench and she almost broke.

Her eyes darted over to Rakuzan, who looked ready to give out their last breath and die. Shock, anger and bitterness whirled in their eyes, although it was the easiest to notice on Hayama, she noted, as the blonde was always upbeat, similarly to Ryō. Now... now, however, his green eyes were dark, broken.

“ _Kaijū no Sedai_ indeed...“ he hissed, obviously worn out, his clothes sticking to his form, as he turned away, “We played our best and you mocked us.“

She flinched the words like a knife to the heart.

“I’m never wrong and you know that, Kōtaro. You never had a chance. Do not judge me for doing what was a must.“ Sei said, tone soft, but despite the silkiness, it cut like the sharpest blade. _Ouch_ , yes, it hadn’t been nice of Hayama to call them monsters... but Sei was giving him even more reason to think of them as such.

“Akashi-kun.“

Momoi swallowed, as she heard Tetsu’s call. Level and quiet, the one he always used, if the _Emperor_ was on the verge of coming out. It would not do good for them if Sei tried killing one of his subordinates. For a very long moment, Sei kept staring at Rakuzan and then they walked away to get rid of the practice jersey.

“Good job, _team_.“ Sanada spoke, as they passed him. She couldn’t even look at him.

Once the door behind them shut, she leaned against the wall and curled in on herself, hoping to drown in darkness, only listening to the shuffle of clothes, as her brothers changed.

“Tsuki.“ a gentle hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up. Dai was looking at her with pain clouding his dark gaze. Pain of both emotional and physical nature. Her eyes went wide. He was still injured from Monday...

“Your back...!” she gasped, scrambling to stand and check on him, but he caught her quickly.

“Not here. Back in the room. It’s... not open I guess. It hurts, but I don’t think it’s bleeding otherwise my jersey would be red by now.”

She took a breath, trying her best to school her features into that cold calmness she learned to use during their second year. Teikō spared her most of the physical pain — the boys never let her get too hurt— but the emotional and psychological toll on her was just as great, as on them. She still remembered the countless sleepless nights, when they tossed a stack of documents and data in front of her, so she would analyse it and aid Sei and Tetsu in creating a strategy.

A strategy meant to _destroy_. And every time she saw how well those strategies worked, she hated herself more and more. ~~But there was no other way because winning meant, that they will stay alive.~~

They walked away from the building in silence. Their teams and coaches were slowly leaving the building as well, but everyone was throwing them wary glances and wondering...

... she saw their eyes. They were wondering if they were even human ~~No, they probably weren’t~~.

Tetsu threw a look at Sei and then another at Seirin before he spoke. It was best that he did because she doubted the rest of them — save for Sei— would have been able to form a coherent sentence and she knew they were not supposed to show, how much this had affected them. “Seirin, Tōō and Shūtoku meeting in the morning at the usual time by the court track. We start with _Suicide_.“

“Rakuzan, Kaijō and Yōsen should be heading to the First String Gym in the morning, usual time.“ Sei stated, tone equally deadpan, “Do _**not** _be late.”

She stuck close to Dai and did her best not to even look at the teams, as more muttering broke out, as they walked off. The farther they got, the safer she felt, yet the words still bounced around in her head, like a sinister, broken tape that she had no way of stopping.

_Kaijū no Sedai._

* * *

Since neither Aida Riko nor Araki Masako was back yet, she could have a look at Dai’s injuries just fine. He peeled off his shirt and sat on her bed.

She grabbed the first aid kit and breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re not completely torn open... It’s just that a little blood got out since you moved so much.“

“You _can’t_ play basketball standing in one spot, Tsuki. Not even a Center, who has the most stationary position manages that and...”

“Hai, hai... I know.“ she grunted, “You know what I mean.“

Dai sighed and relaxed, as she grabbed the antiseptic and a few cotton pads. He stiffened, as the alcohol stung the wounds, but didn’t say anything. She knew, that he —and all of her brothers were by now, too used to such situations, no matter how sad that sounded.

“If you keep tearing these open, they’ll scar.“ she murmured, continuing her gentle ministrations.

“Then... I’ll match with Tetsu.“ he attempted to joke, but it came out too morosely. She shivered at the memory — that day when Tetsu protected a teammate and in exchange, a sharp blade carved his number into his back.

 _They_ didn’t even think of them as human... ~~in _their_ eyes, the members of the Club had _never_ been human.~~

When she was done, she quickly and efficiently cleared all evidence of her work, while Dai carefully pulled the shirt over his head again. She hurried over to help straighten it out, so it would hurt less and when they were done, her brother gave her a tired, but grateful smile.

“We’d have gone mad without you and Tetsu a long time ago.“ he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead like he always did. “Arigato, Imōto.”

She leaned into him just a bit, her forehead against his muscled chest, as he carefully draped an arm around her. “You know I’d do anything for the six of you.“

Today had been too tiring and traumatising for all of them, but as long as they didn’t give up —as long, as they had each other, they would survive.

 _Kaijū no Sedai_ , Hayama had said.

But.. if her brothers were monsters, so was _she_ — because only a monster could understand and love another monster. And she loved her brothers and they loved her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one done! :D  
> As always, please leave comments and share your thoughts. Arigato :3


	23. ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ ɪɪɪ — ʜɪᴍᴜʀᴏ

_**11th July, Wednesday** _

Ever since he had first heard of the _Kiseki_ _no Sedai_ , his dream was to see them play. Taiga wished to be as good, as they were— he wanted to be _better,_ to defeat them. Himuro was different. He just wanted to see the five— _six—_ players on the same side of the court, to get a taste of what they had been like, during Teikō.

He was also aware, that people said, that Rakuzan was the equivalent of Teikō among High Schools.

Having seen Rakuzan play before, maybe he could believe that— especially since the Captain of the _Kiseki_ played for Rakuzan _and_ despite being a First Year, his team followed his requests ( _orders?_ ) without any question. Although... After witnessing how Akashi forced Taiga to his knees on Monday... ( _How the Hell_ did Akashi manage _that?!_ He had known Taiga for years and as they grew up, he had heard several times, those other players, on the streets, likened his brother-figure to a wild tiger... and maybe they were not wrong.)

Well... That scene had been equal parts shocking and terrifying. The way he heard Rakuzan and Murasakibara call Taiga a fool under their breaths— a fool for _defying_ Akashi,— also indicated that the redhead had both admiration and fear from his team, both previous and present. Not that he was surprised. Akashi Seijūrō just had an... _air_ about him, that screamed _leader._

He had heard that they were prodigies of a different kind — that no other players in Japan had been (or were likely to ever be) like the _Kiseki no Sedai_. And he was aware of Atsushi’s skill in his position, although his over two-meter height was also helpful in that regard. And he had to admit, all the other _Kiseki_ were just as amazing on court, in their ways. Even Kuroko Tetsuya, whom they called the weakest or often excluded, if Atsushi was speaking true... was an amazing player in his own right. To disappear on the court like that... or to pass the way he did.

_(“Kuro-chin is weaker than us, but by no means **weak** or helpless. If you don‘t know how to catch his pass, your wrist will snap, like a twig. He snapped someone’s wrist like that, in the Second Year, just a few weeks after Kise-chin joined. I’m surprised Seirin hadn’t snapped their wrists yet... or maybe Kuro-chin just keeps holding back for their sake. Maybe. Kuro-chin was always soft-hearted like that.”) _

So yes. There was more to the _Kiseki_ than it met the eye... if Murasakibara spoke like that, about their “weakest“ member. And he wasn’t deaf... beneath the bored tone was a lot of respect meant for the Phantom. So... it was either Kuroko Tetsuya, who had more to him, than what the world knew... or the _Kiseki_ as a whole had. Because they had split up and there was an obvious tension between them... but Murasakibara spoke respectfully of them. To them. And the childish giant still followed Akashi’s orders without a sigh, much less whining about not wanting to go.

And he hadn’t missed how Aomine poked at Kise on Monday, during the Suicides. Or how Akashi did the same to Kuroko. And... maybe he’d been imagining things, but both Aomine and Akashi seemed... guilty, when they nudged the other two, to continue the murderous exercise.

There was tension in all of them, that could not be noticed and Fukui had said, that at this rate, they will kill each other. But... the more Himuro watched them, the less convinced he was. Something... there was something about how all of them acted, that just _wasn’t normal_.

“Wh-what the fuck?! He copies his teammate like that?! Isn’t that against some moral rules or something?”

Taiga’s indignant, surprised cry brought him back to the present and his attention zeroed on the court once more. He watched as Kise performed... Aomine? _Yes_ , the blonde used Aomine’s moves to get past Hayama and then scored.

Rakuzan got the ball afterwards, but Atsushi stopped their advances, only for his throw, when he snatched the ball from Imayoshi, to fail. The ball bounced on the court, past Aomine...

Himuro blinked. _What?_

Atsushi _never_ missed ( _“_ _I do not fail something so trivial, as a throw Muro-chin. Failing is unaccepted. The Kiseki are Kiseki for a reason.”_ ) a throw like that and... considering Aomine’s incredible speed and agility, he could have caught that... yet he _let_ —because damn him, but the Power Forward _allowed_ it to get past him, were people blind?!— the ball go and Mayuzumi snatched it away, to pass it to his teammate. And the more the quarter went, the more he noticed.

No teamwork at all. The _Kiseki_ were not working as a team — and it was... it was almost like they were _deliberately_ messing up some of their moves. A too-long pass, a step in the wrong direction, irregular dribbling rhythm. They were being _lazy_ , even, which was odd, because ever since they arrived, Atsushi cut back on his usual laziness and _put_ _effort_ into training.

Were they mocking Rakuzan? To show they could win even while they weren’t paying... his eyes went wide, as Akashi blocked an attack and passed to Aomine in a way, that resembled Kuroko’s move. It wasn’t a _copy_ per se (he had yet to see _Kise_ copy Kuroko... so Akashi doing it was even less likely, no matter how skilled the redhead was), just a move similar to Kuroko’s. Something... which everyone could do if they’d seen a certain move enough and were familiar with the basics.

The end of the first quarter came with relatively even scores, although Teikō was still leading.

“Huh... Rakuzan is either goddamn good or the _Kiseki_ have a bigger name than skill.“ Taiga mused next to him, tone quieter, than usual. “Or maybe Kuroko wasn’t wrong and they don’t know what _teamwork_ is and simply give a shit about the game, as a whole.”

He didn’t say anything... because something wasn’t okay. He had not seen all of the members in their matches, but he had seen a few. And he had certainly seen how they moved with and without a ball in hand these past few days. They were holding back.

But why? He glanced at the players, seeking Atsushi... because he knew the Center the most. He was often bored, but for Himuro, he was the easiest to read, no matter how impossible that may sound to someone. His black eyes narrowed on his teammate, as he sat on the ground.

All of them were scattered around their bench, drinking, way too quiet. (Rakuzan and Imayoshi were planning something, while also drinking and eating honey lemons.) There was something up with the _Kiseki_. Around him, he heard the whispers and he noted the coach’s sentence, that it was unlike Akashi to send his team onto court, without planning five steps ahead of the opponent.

Yet, this first quarter had been a mess. The _Kiseki_ were almost like headless chickens out there — which was hard to believe with how intimidating Akashi was. Even if temporarily, from what he heard, the redhead was more than capable of coercing the _Kiseki_ into following his orders.

His eyes slid over the two teams again, absently noting a figure moving away from them, as the second quarter started.

And the _massacre_ started with the second quarter.

The _Kiseki_ changed gears, the moment Kuroko touched the ball. He caught something from Rakuzan’s coach, that with both Mayuzumi and Kuroko on the court, they would not be able to use their abilities, because players, who used similar — or in this case, entirely identical— style, could not play their best, as long as there was someone, who could anticipate and potentially block them.

Yet, Kuroko still managed to play somewhat, as he and Akashi kept interrupting Mayuzumi and it was like both of them anticipated every single strategic move Imayoshi would try to make. The ball bounced around, basket went after basket and the more the clock ticked, the less Rakuzan could keep up.

“W-what the hell is going on there?!” Taiga asked, eyes wide.

Himuro watched blood freezing in his veins, as he noticed Atsushi’s changed stance. Like a great unpassable wall... that was what the snack-loving player resembled now. Wherein earlier the team’s attention kept wandering... now their focus was completely on the ball. No missteps. No miscalculated moves, no deliberate misses.

In fact, with every passing minute — with every ball that went into Rakuzan’s hoop— the _Kiseki_ seemed more and more desperate to score. Perfect passes. Perfect rhythm.

They worked like an oiled machine. And even when Kuroko and Kise switched places... it seemed even better. Mayuzumi ran around the court essentially useless and Kuroko’s passes went around undisturbed.

To Aomine. To Akashi. To Midorima. To Aomine.

No wasted steps or dribbles. Hell, he doubted they had a wasted _breath_. Rakuzan couldn’t even touch the ball. They were amazing. Yet... yet they looked like some terrifying entity, that didn’t belong into this world. And their eyes too. Before... he couldn’t read them all, the way he could read Atsushi... but in the first quarter, there was some sort of spark in all of them. Now... now their gazes seemed like soulless pits, that only registered the presence of the ball and the position of the hoop.

He looked at the scoreboard.

**73 — 52**

The _Kiseki_ were leading by a nice gap... but it didn’t seem like they were stopping. Rakuzan still tried altering between defence and offence, he could see morsels of strategy in their movement, but they were getting frustrated. (It probably didn’t help their morale either, that whenever Akashi got his hands on the ball, whoever tried to stop him, ended up on the floor and each time that happened, they looked at the redhead with more and more fear.)

From that moment on, the match turned rather one-sided and he could see from the corner of his eyes, that the other spectators were staring at the court in horror.

“I-Is that the _Kiseki no Sedai_?“ Taiga whispered in shock, obviously trying to grasp the happenings.

“They’re _monsters_.“ Himuro’s eyebrows knitted together at those words and he threw a look at a Shūtoku player. Miyaji... was his name, he guessed.

The sound of the buzzer signalling a score change became periodical. Rakuzan kept struggling and sweating to keep up. The _Kiseki_ moved as one, making basket after basket. There was little teamwork even now, yet there was some sort of order to how they moved and there were just small things, that indicated that yes, they _could_ work together... if only they put some effort into the game.

“There’s nothing _miraculous_ about them.“ Himuro shifted his gaze towards Seirin. The Captain’s eyes were as dark, as the bottomless pits of Hell. “They’re all selfish _monsters_ , who only take pleasure in crushing those weaker on the court. I thought Kuroko was different from the other five... but all of them are the _same_ , it seems.”

He winced at that. How would Kuroko feel hearing his own Captain say those words about him? With a gulp, Himuro turned back to watching the match, as the others around him grew louder with their hateful words.

Dreadful silence settled on court, no words were coming from Imayoshi and Mibuchi to direct the team anymore. There was no chatter on the court either, as it often happened in other games. The _Kiseki_ just kept their faces blank, kept the ball to themselves and _scored_.

By the last quarter, it was obvious, that Rakuzan was getting tired and despite being in better shape, than the other teams —that had been proved the last two days, — they could not keep up, while the _Kiseki_ showed no signs of slowing down.

“This is _not basketball_.“ Taiga growled next to him, angry and upset at the same time. “They’re mocking them. Crushing them.“ his breath shuddered, “I can’t believe Kuroko’s like this... he... I thought he was the sane one out of the batch, based on what I’ve seen and heart of them. But now... it seems a leopard doesn’t change its spots...”

Himuro didn’t say anything. He just watched silently, until the very end. The final buzzer seemed like mercy... but there was nothing of that sort. The scoreboard was proof of it.

**111 — 52**

After the teams bowed to each other, silence settled in the gym. It was starting to unnerve him, because the place felt more like a crypt, than a gym. Some people were muttering to themselves about overwhelming power and mockery, but Himuro dismissed most of those when he noticed Rakuzan falter a little in front of the _Kiseki_.

Specifically, he noticed the way Hayama stopped — the blonde’s back was to the seats, but Himuro had no doubt, that the Small Forward was glaring daggers at his Captain... or perhaps the Teikō batch, as a whole.

“ _Kaijū no Sedai_ indeed...“ he snarled loud and clear for all of them to hear and the words sent a cold shiver through Himuro. Now, after watching this match... he could understand why some people coined the moniker for the Teikō team.

Akashi’s lips moved, but his words were too quiet for him to hear properly, yet he leaned forward just a little, strained his ears and narrowed his eyes, hoping to catch morsels of the answer. He honestly didn’t understand the Kiseki... but the answer...

“...Kotarō....never... judge me... must.“ Akashi answered and Himuro scowled mentally. Damn the noise.

For a very long moment, he just sat there, unable to completely grasp what had just transpired. Even now, having seen how the six of them played as a team, it was hard to grasp that they had such skill.

“Hey, Tatsuya... are you coming?“

Himuro snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, standing up slowly. “Of course, Taiga.”

The walk from the gym towards the school’s entrance was slow and filled with dread and the heavy, angry and fearful whispers of everyone, who’d witnessed the match. Himuro noted, that their coaches were unnaturally silent... but all of them had dark expressions on their faces. Although he could not decipher, what that darkness exactly meant.

They just barely reached the door, when the _Kiseki_ appeared, the six of them —plus Momoi-san, as she had not truly left their side (or Aomine’s side?) since their arrival,— appeared as well, in a tight circle, their arms and shoulders almost touching, as they walked next to each other. Oddly enough, he noted, it wasn’t Midorima —who, from his knowledge had been the Vice-cap of the team,— but _Kuroko_ , who walked next to Akashi, the redhead’s presence, nearly covering the Phantom — both figuratively, considering his abilities and literally, since they were around the same height.

For a moment, they all stopped and Akashi and Kuroko gave orders about tomorrow’s training. And now, close up, he saw just how tense they all were —oh, they were good at feigning nonchalance... maybe even too good. But... Atsushi’s eyes spoke the most.

Outwardly, he seemed bored. But his eyes... his eyes spoke of _sorrow_ . Sorrow and pity and... maybe self-hatred(?)... and so, so many other emotions he could not decipher... Emotions that didn’t belong into the eyes of someone, who was part of a team. A team who had just _demolished_ their opponents and had this been a big tournament...

But before he could finish that thought and try looking at the others, to try deciphering something on their faces, they started walking again — moving in sync, silent, just like when they’d arrived, that odd air of power and something unnamable — something _wicked_ — blanketing them.

The others still muttered about suicidal training and monsters.

But Himuro could not help but wonder, as they started their trek back to the hotel. What monster _hated themselves_ , for destroying those weaker, than them? _‘Just what are you... Kiseki no Sedai?‘_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please tell me what you think :3 Comments are caffeine of my soul and help me stay motivated. Thank you for reading :)


	24. ʜᴀʀᴍꜰᴜʟ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ — ᴍɪʙᴜᴄʜɪ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally I wanted this one to be a Kiyoshi chapter... but somehow it ended up being Mibuchi... dunno how. 😅 Enjoy! <3

_**11th July, Wednesday** _

Terror. _Utter and complete despair_ was the only thing he could comprehend, as they sat in the small lounge room of their hotel. Neither of them could speak, since the match had ended. How Hayama had managed to — how he _dared_ to— say such words to the redhead before departure, he could not fathom.

Deathly silence settled around the five of them, bodies still covered in a cold sweat, their clothes sticking to their forms, but no one cared. Now they just sat there and stared, wondering if there was a reason to practice... a reason to play and struggle if a bunch of First-Year brats could wipe the court with them. (Imayoshi was equally numb as them, not being able to understand how the redhead and Kuroko had seen trough all his moves...) And in this very moment, Mabuchi felt like Imayoshi Shōichi was more their Captain than Akashi Seijūrō had ever been. Cruel little slave driver, that was what the redhead was. Maybe Mayuzumi wasn’t so wrong when he called Akashi a Devil incarnate.

 _‘Anything and everything we did was...‘_ he shook his head to chase away that thought, but the image still flashed into his mind anyway.

_Seeing that Sei-chan had the ball, Mibuchi moved to guard him. Other than Nebuya — who was better off guarding the hoop, because you could never know,— he had the most chance in stopping the redhead._

_Their eyes met, blue on mismatched ones and he moved to take the ball, but Sei-chan passed it behind his back and caught it with his other hand, before changing the lazy dribbling pace into one he could barely follow. The redhead moved, the ball kept bouncing and he found himself stumbling._

_“Your head’s held too high, Reo.“ Mibuchi’s breath caught in his throat, as he fell, staring **up** at Akashi. His face was blank and emotionless... cold and closed off. There was even less emotion on him than on Mayuzumi. “Like that, grovel at my feet for I’m **absolute**.“ he hissed softly— his eyes flashed with something... but it was too brief and too well-guarded for him to guess what it was, although it was most likely contempt— and move past, faster than he thought the First Year could. _

He shivered, remembering that it had not been the only time the redhead simply overwhelmed them. Midorima could not be stopped, whenever he touched the ball, for the moment he was in the air, the ball was already too high for them to attempt to catch. Imayoshi had tried once, but before he could do something, the Shooting Guard of the Kiseki had released the ball and it was a score.

Then, Imayoshi moved to guard Aomine, seeing he knew the Power Forward best... but before he could outsmart the First Year, Aomine randomly tossed the ball and backed off, only to get to the hoop and for the ball to appear in his hand. Kuroko Tetsuya was invisible and Mayuzumi was struggling to keep up. The more they’d tried to strategise... the likelier it was that Kuroko or Akashi would appear and shut them down, before getting the ball to someone in the best position to score.

And Murasakibara Atsushi was the impassable iron wall. Nebuya, Hayama, Imayoshi... all of them failed to score. Mibuchi himself only got lucky, he could see that now. Or perhaps giving them those points once in a while was another layer to the mockery of the _Kiseki_?

He shuddered.

He had heard of the _Kiseki no Sedai_ and after witnessing Akashi’s skills, he was sure, that there must have been something to those rumours about the six Teikō players. Now... now he knew that all of them could be as overwhelming, as Akashi and when they were on the same side of the court... it was suicide to play against them.

Because this match had been nothing, but mockery and massacre.

“Hey.”

Mibuchi glanced upwards at the familiar voice. Kiyoshi stood by the corridor, watching them contemplatingly.

“We’re not porcelain dolls, Kiyoshi.“ Imayoshi grunted, none of the usual sugary cheerfulness in his voice. “You can come and wail over here if you feel like it. After all, three of your fellow Uncrowned Kings had been crushed and that means, that so were you, figuratively.”

Kiyoshi hesitated for a moment and then slowly approached and seated himself next to Mayuzumi, who was barely conscious. Mibuchi noted that perhaps their Phantom Player should sleep this off... but that wouldn’t work. Mayu-chan could sleep off the physical exhaustion, but the memories of the _massacre_ would bother him and drain him, as much as it drained the rest of them.

“What brings you here?“ Nebuya murmured gruffly, glancing at Kiyoshi.

The other Center sighed. “Search for some quiet. Hyūga and Kagami keep roaring like beasts, that Kuroko’s a monster and turncoat, making us believe he was any better than the rest of the _**Kaijū** _ _no Sedai_ . The other First Years are wailing, that at this rate, it’s pointless for them to play basketball if Kuroko could do _that_. What he did...“ he rubbed his face, “He may have left scoring to the others...“

“He didn’t _have_ to score.“ Mayuzumi snarled, “We couldn’t even _touch_ the ball. He and Akashi made sure, that neither I nor Imayoshi could get close. They kept moving about as if they _knew_ what we were thinking even before we thought it!”

“And when they _let_ us have it,“ Imayoshi injected, tone bitter, “it was just mockery. They were playing us in the first quarter, when we got our scores and by the end they got tired, they just simply crushed us.”

They kept their head low and then Kiyoshi looked at him. Mibuchi frowned. “What?“

“Akashi.... didn’t come off, as the affectionate type...“

Mibuchi snorted at that. “No, he’s not. He has his... _better_ moments, but most of the time, he’s a tyrant. Especially in training. And he certainly keeps us all at an arm's length.”

The Iron Heart nodded slowly. “Yet you got away with calling him “-chan“ all this time.”

Mibuchi scowled. “I’m starting to think, he was making fun of my liking for him all this time. He certainly kept looking at me all the time during the game, as if I were an annoying cockroach coming back to bother him.”

Kiyoshi shook his head. “Still... haven’t you noticed something? Kuroko... never acted like this before. He was always quiet and keeping a step distance... but he was never violent in any shape or form. During the game though... that was different and I remember... Kagami and Himuro sat next to each other and apparently, Murasakibara told Himuro once, that a pass of his could break a hand if he wanted.”

“Like hell, it _can_!” Hayama suddenly growled, holding up his left hand. It was red and his wrist was swollen.

Mibuchi grunted. “What are you doing sitting here? Go, tell the coach and have that checked out, damn it! Mayuzumi go with him!”

The Phantom glared. “I’m not some babysitter for your convenience Mib—”

 _“Go with him!”_ he snapped, eyes narrowing.

The air in the room seemed to freeze and Mibuchi caught himself, looking away, realising he was acting rather out of character... but his nerves were frayed. He was tired, sad and angry and confused. (Akashi was a lot of things yes... but he had never seen such an expression on the redhead’s face before. The expression he wore during the match... was something he could not put his finger on. Seemingly blank and cold... but his eyes spoke something different. Something he could not understand.)

A minute later, Mayuzumi stumbled to his feet with a grunt and then dragged Hayama towards the room of their coach, while holding the blonde’s collar. Hayama was protesting against the indignified treatment, but there was no real strength behind the words. The usually energetic blonde was as drained — physically and emotionally, as well— like the rest of them.

“Akashi was always like this.“ Nebuya answered at last, “But... today he seemed worse.”

“Same for Aomine.“ Imayoshi agreed, “He’d always acted like a brat... an _arrogant brat_ ... but today, it wasn’t just arrogance. It was like he was a beast. A beast baring its fangs, ready to snap any of us, who got in his way, in half. Now... I understand _**why** _ they were called _Kaijū no Sedai_.”

Mibuchi shivered, dreading tonight. After all, he and Mayuzumi shared a room with Akashi... (Damn it, would he even sleep or would he have to fear an assassination attempt from the redhead, now that he had been victorious? Would Akashi deem them weak and useless, now that they had lost?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, my only request is for you to leave comments :)
> 
> BTW, guys, does anyone know if there is a set date for Theme Weeks/Days (like AkaKuro Week, AoKuro Day/Week and all that...). And if there IS a set date... Where will I find them?  
> Actually... How do these "entries" for a Theme Day/Week work? 🤨  
> I'm rather new to KnB fandom and I've never even considered writing something for events like this in any other fandom either... So I have no clue at all. If someone were to help explain or direct me to a page/post that explains these sort of things, I would be infinitely grateful. 💖


	25. ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ꜱɪɢɴ — ᴀᴏᴍɪɴᴇ

**_11th July, Wednesday / 12th July, Thursday_ **

Aomine could not sleep. ~~Again.~~

He would have liked to, but his back hurt and he wasn’t about to take some stupid pill. The _fuckers_ made him eat enough shit. Besides, with the concoctions in his system, the kami knew how painkillers would react — he didn’t want to mix himself some addictive drug or something fatal. He’d rather endure the pain instead.

He sighed softly and glanced around the room. It was completely dark, but he could still make out the unmoving bumps under the covers, that were Sakurai and Imayoshi. Both slept like the dead and he kind of envied them. He was tired and he was in pain. He was tired... but there was a point, where if the scale tips over, you would not be able to sleep.

Well, he had reached that point.

He reached for his phone and opened _Miracle Messages_. Shin and Sei were available, so it meant they couldn’t sleep either. (Honestly, he was surprised they were getting any sleep at all since they’d arrived here. He tapped the bubble and typed a message, instead of speaking.

**23:55/ ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ?**

Honestly, keeping up this pretense was making him sick. He just wanted to cuddle up with the others, make sure they were all okay and maybe then, he would be able to sleep. And if the seven of them didn’t fit into a single room —which was very possible, because these rooms were for three people, so at worst, four of them could stay in one place, as long as the fourth person was Sei, Tetsu or Tsuki, since they were the tiniest.

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 23:55 / ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ... ɪ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟʏ ᴄᴀɴ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʀᴇʜᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅ “ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ“. ᴏʀ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴅʏ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟʏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ...**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 23:56/ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛᴀʙʟʏ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱʜɪɴ. ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ, ᴅᴀɪ?**

Ah, the proof of Sei’s total exhaustion. He rarely used their nicknames, even though they called him by nickname all the time Tetsu was the only one, who had ever called him “Seijūrō”... but only in serious situations. When Tetsu called the redhead _that_ , you knew the situation was _dead serious_ and that it was the Captain and his protégé doing their work, so let them do it and if they asked you something, just say yes and scurry off to do it to the best of your ability, unless you wanted to die slowly and painfully...

**23:56/ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀꜱ ʙᴀᴅ, ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇ ꜰᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ. ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ ᴄʟᴇᴀɴᴇᴅ ɪᴛ... ʙᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴏᴡ ʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ, ɪᴛ’ʟʟ ꜱᴄᴀʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʙᴏᴛʜᴇʀ... ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ʙᴇᴀʀᴀʙʟᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ**

There was no point in lying. His siblings would know anyway. Besides, they’d never really lied to one another before — not to mention that you _did not_ lie to Akashi Seijūrō (or to Tetsu), no matter the situation... as written by their Miragen Rulebook.

_❝ Miragen Rulebook (expert)_

_**Rule 1:** _ _Always keep The Oath (The Oath = “No one must know about Teikō’s true nature and no one shall ever truly separate the seven of us, even if we play for different schools and if we play for different schools, then we shall always, ALWAYS play our best against one another, for none would ever withstand what we can do, but one, who is like us.“)_

 _**Rule 2:** _ _You never, EVER lie to (or piss off) Akashi Seijūrō. He is the Captain and he’s here to help, lying just makes things worse for us all (and he will just find out anyway and the bad situation turns WORSE)/ **Rule 2.1:** You NEVER, **EVER!!!** disobey the orders of Akashi Seijūrō, because even if said orders do not make sense at the moment, Sei just wants the best for everyone and he has NEVER been wrong (suggesting Sei is wrong, means slow and painful death, – unless your name is Kuroko Tetsuya,– so DO NOT even IMPLY Sei is wrong)_

 _**Rule 3:** _ _You NEVER, **EVER!!!** piss of Kuroko Tetsuya, because not even Sei can save you from hours upon hours of horrible torture, until you beg for death/ **Rule 3.1:** You NEVER take Tetsu’s milkshakes forcefully –unless your name is Akashi Seijūrō–, because that pisses him off and... [see Rule 3 for reference] _

_**Rule 4:** _ _If you need help, but for some reason, Sei is unavailable turn to Tetsu, ASAP (Tetsu will know what to do); also, Tetsu’s word is Sei’s word about 90% of times–in the remaining 10% Sei is just likely to agree with Tetsu anyway–, so you DO NOT question Tetsu’s orders, because they are Sei’s and...[see Rule 2 & 2.1 for reference]_

 _**Rule 5:** _ _NEVER doubt Satsuki’s data ❞_

So... yeah. No lying. _At all._ Even if he wanted to, to make the others worry less. 

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 23:57/ ɪ’ᴍ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ꜱᴜꜱᴘɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ. ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ, ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ...**

**23:57/ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ꜱᴡᴇᴀᴛ ɪᴛ, ꜱʜɪɴ. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ**

He sighed. Gods, let this nightmare be _over_. He wanted to hug Tetsu. The others too, he wanted to hug them _all_ — hug them and _never let go_ —, but Tetsu... (Okay, maybe Tsuki hadn’t been _mean_ , ~~becuase there was some truth in her words~~ , when she coined his _Tetsu Withdrawal Syndrome_... or whatever she called that.)

**ꜱᴇɪ: 23:58/ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ, ᴅᴀɪᴋɪ. ᴅᴏ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟ... ᴀꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ, ᴀꜱ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ. ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɴɪᴊɪᴍᴜʀᴀ-ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ꜱᴏᴏɴ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴍʏ ᴜʀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋɪʟʟ ꜱᴀɴᴀᴅᴀ ᴏʀ ᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜᴏᴋᴀ. ᴏʀ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ.**

Aomine gluped, barely supressing a shiver. He could almost hear the snipping of Sei’s scissors even now... and was that bloodlust radiating from the general direction of the redhead’s room? He hoped the bloodlust won’t wake anyone... Ah, but even drowned in bloodlust, Sei was being an _absolute_ (pun intended) worrywart. _Typical_.

He took a breath, trying to forget his pain and reminding himself, that this week would soon be over and then they would just have to survive another one. Then... after all this, they will never even have to hear the freaking name of this goddamn place. After this, they will be _free_...

He focused on his phone again and typed his message. Ignoring Sei’s messages wasn’t a good idea even on his best days and this wasn’t one of those. All their nerves were fried by now, he supposed and the longer this continued, the likelier it was one of them will drop the pretence and hug someone they “shouldn’t”. Or it was likelier they would kill someone, which wasn’t a good idea either, especially not where their current teams and coaches could witness. (They were already called monsters anyway. No need to give them _even_ _more_ reasons to call them inhuman.)

**23:59/ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟ. ɪ’ᴍ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʀʏō ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴏɴɢ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀꜱᴛᴀʀᴅꜱ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴇ ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛᴇᴅ**

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 23:59/ ᴡᴇ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ, ᴅᴀɪ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴅᴏ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ, ɪꜱ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ — ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀꜱ ɪɴᴄᴏɴꜱᴘɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ, ᴀꜱ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ.**

He sighed, knowing that Shin was being the voice of reason yet again. When Tetsu wasn’t around and Sei was being _too mother hen to think straight_ — like now— Shin was the voice of reason. He raised his fingers to type again...

... but a shrill, terrified scream echoed through the building and his blood froze.

_**00:00** _

He stiffened for half a second and then kicked off his covers, dropped his phone and bolted from the room as if the Shinigami was breathing down on his neck.

He sped down the corridor, as the other doors opened and people poked their heads out glaring and muttering about interrupted sleep. Aomine ignored it all. He skidded to a halt next to the coaches’ room and without knocking, burst into the room. The woman and Aida were both awake, but frozen in confusion, as they stared at Satsuki, who was clutching her sheets, disshelves, sweated and eyes wide in terror.

“Satsuki.“ he called, as the scream finally died in her troath, “ _Satsuki_.”

But her eyes were unfocused, her breathing uneven and shallow, her entire body shaking. Shit... not a panic attack again. He walked closer, carefully. “Satsuki, look at me.“ he tried, gently taking her trembling hand into his.

She curled in on herself more and choked. Not good. “Can’t... brea...“ she choked again and Aomine cursed, looking for her bag. _Where was her bag?_

“ _Daiki_ , catch!” the voice was soft, but firm and he noticed Tetsu crouching by the corner. (When had he made it here?) Aomine caught the flying little object and he dimlly noted the surprise on the two other women’s faces, not expecting Tetsu to be here.

He took off the cap, his ears filled with Satsuki’s erratic breathing, her whole form trembling. He looked at the girl. “Breath, Satsuki. I’m here now. You’re okay. You’re safe.“ he murmured quietly, manouvering the inhaler to her mouth and pressing it.

She inhaled the gas slowly and as he took it away from her mouth she slumed into him.

 _“Hurt...“_ she choked.

Tetsu hummed and Aomine caught his gaze from the corner of his eye. “We wil _not_ let you get hurt. _He_ would have to get trough six of us. We wouldn’t even let him in the six feet radius of you.“ his tone was level, but as cold as ice, promising death, “We can always kill him... we had certainly been merciful that one time... and _never again_.”

The words were a promise, which Aomine knew Tetsu and Sei would certainly keep. Should Haizaki so much as show a hair somewhere, the pillaging bastard was dead. Seeing that she relaxed somewhat at those words, Tetsu walked off, his steps light and inaudible. Always the phantom...

“There’s nothing to see here. Leave Aomine-kun to take care of her, get back to sleep.“ Tetsu ordered in a distinctly Sei-like voice. A voice that proved Tetsu had been the _Emperor’s_ apprentice during their years in Teikō.

Aomine ignored the muttering of others, as Tetsu softly, but firmly shut the door, as he left the room blocking everyone’s wiev of the secene, leaving him with the still-shaking Satsuki and the two coaches. He kept rubbing soft circles on her back, his chin resting on the top of her head.

Seemingly endless minutes passed, but slowly, the stomach-churning stench of fear dulled.

“You’re safe, Imōto. You‘re okay.“ he said softly. “We’ll keep you safe. You know Tetsu would kill for you and you know those words weren’t empty.”

She swallowed. “I know. But...“

“Shush, Imōto. No _but_ s. You’re safe.“ he reassured and slowly, her breathing returned to normal. But her skin felt cold and clammy.

“C... can we sleep together, Dai?“ she murmured.

Aomine twitched. That would be hard to arrange with two other females in the room (and two other males in his own)... but either this, or she won’t sleep at all. _Or_ , if she did, she would just wake again, in a similar manner and that would do no good for anyone.

His eyes darted to the other occupants of the room. They shared a look and then Yōsen’s coach nodded. “If that makes her feel better, you may stay.”

Aomine grunted and gently tugged his sister closer. She curled into his side, clutching his nightshirt. “You’ll stay then, Onī-chan?“

“Hai, hai. Sleep Satsuki. We all need rest. And I’ll be here in the morning, don’t worry.“ he shushed her. She hummed, satisfied with his answer and her body slowly relaxed. Minutes later, she was asleep.

Aomine could feel the sharp, assessing gazes of the two women, but he didn’t turn to face them. If he did, he might get the urge to claw their eyes out and that wasn’t _good_ right now. If he left his spot now, his sister would wake up again...

“That was... a panic attack?“ the woman asked.

Aomine gently shifted on the bed, to be in a more comfortable position, his back away from the wall, Satsuki clinging to him still, with an iron grip. “Yes. Triggered by the nightmare she had, like about 85% of times,” he answered, tone low.

“Kuroko-kun was fast in... reacting.“ Seirin’s coach pointed out. Aomine sent her a smouldering glare and he felt a spark of satisfaction when she flinched when the growl broke from his throat. Satsuki stirred and he took a breath to relax.

“Akashi and Tetsu had been the first ones to find her.“ he stated, “She was in our locker, in the middle of one of these episodes, when they made it there. The two of them were always the first ones for training. Afterwards, when it was obvious they would not go away...“ he shrugged, “We learned. Learned to bring her down from it.”

There was a long moment of silence again before the girl spoke. “Wh-why is she...? I mean, these sort of things are triggered by trau—” he growled again and she yelped.

“ _Quiet_ .“ he snarled, “Or... ruined friendships or _not_ , I will tell Tetsu _you’re sticking your nose where it does not belong_ and he _will_ take you to _shreds_. Akashi will probably assist him and _I’ll watch with glee and then you will wish I killed you instead of letting Akashi and Tetsu do it_.“

She paled, eyes going wide and even the woman seemed taken aback. Satisfied with the result, he shifted a bit, pulling the blankets over both him and Satsuki before closing his eyes. Slowly, the relaxed, rhythmic breathing of his sister —and knowing she was _there and safe_ — helped him fall into a deep sleep. Deeper and more restful he had had ever since they’d arrived.

(There will be questions in the morning, but for now, only silence blanketed everything.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter done! once more, please leave comments and share your thoughts!


	26. “ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴꜰᴏʟᴅ“ — ᴋɪꜱᴇ 『ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ』

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Violence, Blood and foul language.

**_08/09/20xx_ , _Monday_ ; Teikō** **Chūgakkō, Tokyo**

_Kise sighed in relief, when the bell sounded, effectively bringing an end not only to their maths lesson but the day as well — this had been their last lesson, after all. They bid farewell to the teacher and then his eyes sought his teammate. The others, who attended the same class, practically bolted from the room the moment it was appropriate, so only the two of them were left._

_“Ne, Atsucchi, the lesson’s over. Come on, before we’re late for practice. Tetsucchi and Seicchi would be upset.“ he said in a low tone. Call him paranoid, but he’d rather not have the Teikō alumni knowing, that they were all so close. Yet, he couldn’t help but use their given names anyway, because it was what they’d agreed on, not so long ago and he didn’t want to break that agreement. They were a family now._

_That caught the purple giant’s attention and their eyes met for e moment before the Center nodded and stood up. “You’re right, Ryō-chin.“_

_They hurriedly packed their books and textbooks and headed for the classroom door. He had to hurry to keep up with the Center’s long strides, but that was no surprise. Kise glanced at his teammate, noticing the pack of maiobu in his hand. “You don’t want to eat in the gym, right? Seicchi would have your head.”_

_“It’ll be gone by then.“ the giant stated off-handedly and Kise just shook his head in amusement. Typical of Atsucchi. “Want some?“ he asked, offering the bag._

_Kise flashed his baby brother — because Murasakibara Atsushi was officially the baby of the team, despite the fact, that Tetsucchi was the youngest,— a bright, genuine grin and took a piece of the sweets. Just as Atsucchi said, the food was gone by the time they made it to the gym and he shoved the empty paper bag into his schoolbag._

_Kise poked his head into the gym. “Captain, we’re here.“ he greeted, mindful of their “coaches” being somewhere near. But... the place was oddly empty. He noticed his other brothers, but no other First or Second String members, which was odd._

_“On time, Ryōta, Atsushi.“ he said approvingly, “However, today our training was cancelled so we may go home.”_

_The model gaped. Knowing Teikō’s true nature, he’d never thought he’d hear such words leaving Seicchi’s mouth. **Ever**. “Na-Nani?! How come?” _

_“Sanada-kantoku“ Kise didn’t miss the degrading tone from Tetsucchi, despite how even his voice was, “said that they had some important things to take care of, so today we can go home. But training will continue from tomorrow the usual way.”_

_“Ah, okay.“_

_“Ne, Tet-chin, Dai-chin... where did you two leave Sa-chin?“_

_Kise perked up at that, just as Daicchi and Shinicchi walked over to them. And indeed, just as Atsucchi said, their sister and manager was missing, which was most unusual. She didn’t dare to leave Daicchi alone for too long, she’d said, because he’d get into trouble without supervision. So she took it upon herself to be that supervision during the day and in the afternoons, Seicchi and Tetsucchi were said supervision, in case Satsucchi got busy with... whatever Basketball Club managers got busy with._

_“Satsuki was feeling ill in class.“ Dai said, as he carelessly tossed the ball him and Tetsucchi had been passing about, into the big metal basket. “So I escorted her to the infirmary and she said she’ll take a nap, while we trained because she didn’t want to go home alone. So we can go and pick her up.”_

_Kise hummed. “Ah, I see. Hope she’ll be okay soon.“_

_“Well then, let’s go.“ Seicchi said, nodding towards the door. “It’s not polite to make women wait, even if she’s our sister.“_

_They turned out from the gym and paused a little, while the other four grabbed their bags. When they came back, they headed towards the infirmary, quietly chatting about basketball, because even with what Teikō was doing... they loved basketball. It was what had brought them together and they would never forget it. The sport they all loved so passionately gave them a second family._

_The oddly relaxed air — relaxed and Teikō didn’t fit into a positive sentence, Kise found,— was broken, when they heard a scream, echoing through the now-empty halls of the school. (The members of the Basketball Club were always the last ones to leave the school and today was no different. It was a good thing, that as a member of the Student Council — the head of it, in fact— Seicchi knew where the keys were.)_

_They shared a glance... “Tsuki.“ Tetsucchi murmured._

_Not needing anything more, they broke into a sprint, towards the infirmary — the real one, the one which every student of the school knew of and used if needed. Daicchi almost broke the door, as he slammed it in and Kise ran into him, as the Light and Shadow duo came to an abrupt halt for half a moment._

_“ **Get off** Satsuki you sick bastard!” Daicchi snarled and for a moment, he was confused, why the Power Forward would say that. And then, as Daicchi pounced, he noticed, that Haizaki was in the room — naked from the waist down— and that Satsucchi’s clothes were torn and scattered on the cot. She was crying, trembling, but her eyes were wide and unseeing. _

_He wasn’t one to get angry, nor was he bloodthirsty — the first category fit Daicchi better and the second fit Seicchi and Tetsucchi—, but in that very moment, he saw **red**. They all moved to get to Satsucchi. Kise took a breath, already sick from the scene. He fixed his gaze on the pale, tear-stained face of their sister. _

_“Satsuki.“ Seicchi called firmly._

_“Tsuki.“ that was Daicchi, now approaching from the other side of the bed. His own eyes too were firmly fixed on her face. They would not make this any harder on her than it already was. She shook and a huge sob broke past her lips._

_Tetsucchi moved carefully and wrapped her in the white bedsheet, careful not to hurt her any more. There was enough blood on her already — more, than they were comfortable with because this should have **never** happened. She was the only girl in the group. She was their little sister, their responsibility. _

_“You’re safe now, Tsuki.“ Tetsucchi breathed, “He won’t touch you again.”_

_She was shaking, her eyes wide, but she didn’t say a word. They all shared a look and then, after a long moment, Seicchi glanced at them all and after a heartbeat of uneasy silence, he took control of the situation, like always. “Daiki, get her a set of clothes. Shintarō, get a towel. Atsushi, Tetsuya, help me clean up this mess — the least evidence we have, the better. Ryōta, escort Satsuki-chan to the shower please.”_

_Kise nodded and looked at the girl. “Satsucchi? Will that be okay if I escort you to the showers?“ he asked softly._

_She blinked up at him, a few fat tears rolling down her face and then she nodded, pulling the white sheets closer to her. “I- I think so, Ry...”_

_She stumbled a bit, as she stood, but he stepped behind her, so she fell against him and he gently helped her stand. “Careful, Satsucchi. Is... that okay if I hold your hand? So you won’t fall?“_

_She nodded and offered one hand, the other still gripping the sheets. He gently took her hand and walked out of the infirmary with her, towards the gym’s showers. The walk was a silent one, but as he gently squeezed her hand in reassurance, she calmed down enough to at least stop shaking. He stopped before the door and softly kissed her hair. “Wait a moment, please.”_

_He slipped into the locker room and opened his locker, grabbing his shower gel and shampoo, before hurrying back out and offering them to her. “Here Satsucchi. Take all the time you need. I’ll be waiting out here and I’m sure Daicchi and Shinicchi will be here soon, too.“_

_“Thanks, Ryō.“ she murmured, disappearing behind the door._

_Kise sighed, suddenly feeling drained as if he’d run the usual twenty Suicides. He leaned against the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the ground. His blood boiled with a sort of rage and hate he had never felt before. The dark emotions were so strong, that for a moment, he was scared, that his negativity will consume him. But he couldn’t help it._

_He could live with Haizaki harassing him and making his life harder than it was. He could, **would** endure, even if he wanted to punch the arrogant bastard. But this was too much. **Too much.** First, the fucker hurts Tetsucchi... that incident could have **killed** him... and now, now **this**. That low-life had the gall to lay a hand on their sister. _

_“Ryōta?”_

_Kise took a deep breath, trying to curb his murderous tendencies — maybe he was spending too much time around Tetsucchi and Seicchi?— and looked up. Shinicchi slipped into the shower, with a towel and Daicchi ducked into the locker room._

_The one who called him was none other, than his mentor and role model (minus the bloodthirstiness). “Tetsucchi,” he murmured, biting the inside of his cheek._

_The amount of murderousness rolling off of their unofficially Vice-captain was terrifying. He had a feeling, that he matched the teal in bloodthirstiness for once, but it was still a terrifying sight. Besides... Tetsucchi never called him “Ryōta“ useless it was business. (And if Tetsucchi had that “business“ voice, he was likelier to kill someone, than Seicchi on a sleep-deprived day.)_

_Kise didn’t even dare to speak to Seicchi, as he watched the redhead. He merely nodded in greeting. Atsucchi was upset too but in a calmer way. Not that it mattered. The bloodthirstiness, that rolled off of their leaders, more than made up for the giant’s abhorrence of violence._

_Shinichi and Daicchi joined them a moment later and as they came out, Kise could hear the running water, before it was abruptly cut off, as the door was closed._

_“I’ll kill him.“ the cold hiss came suddenly, but it was by no means unexpected. Kise’s gaze slipped to the two shortest members of their group._

_“He’ll beg for his life, but he won’t get an easy death.“ Seicchi sang sweetly, mismatched eyes gleaming sinisterly. He had a Cheshire cat grin on his face, but it conveyed no mischievousness. Instead, that grin meant that bloodbath would come._

_SNIP, SNIP, **SNIP** _

_Kise was aware of his growing anger and bloodlust and he had a feeling, that all six of them had matching murderous expressions, yet the snipping of those well-known scissors sent a dreadful shiver down his spine._

_“We already have some unsettled scores with him anyway.“ he said, thinking of the time Haizaki’s hate and recklessness had almost killed Tetsucchi. Or when the bastard fouled during practice and Kise ended up with a broken wrist... because he knew that the move, that the one-on-one had been just pretence. Haizaki wanted him and Tetsucchi gone the most._

_He was surprised at his tone... so cold and dark. And he found himself wishing he could gut the silver-haired player. (He briefly wondered, **when** had he turned into a bloodthirsty person...) _

_“I want him dead.” Daicchi snarled, sounding like a beast. The way his eyes glinted... (He had heard some rumours from a school they’d beaten during their last match and their Power Forward had called Daicchi a beast from the depths of Hell. Was this what the other team saw when Dai was protective and angry at once? Because, they didn’t want to crush others, no, but it was the only way to protect each other and the rest of the Basketball Club.)_

_“We **all** want him dead, Dai,” Shinicchi assured them and the anger in his eyes would have probably made lesser students — read anyone outside the seven of them,— crumble to dust. It was the first time Kise had seen his usually level-headed horoscope-addicted brother like this. (He made a mental note, that pissing Shin off could be as much of a health hazard, as pissing off Sei.) _

_“He should get crushed like the insect he is. But we shouldn’t leave Sa-chin alone, either. Especially not **now**.” Murasakibara drawled. _

_“Besides, violence on school grounds will get us into trouble.“ Seicchi pointed out, his tone dripping with sarcasm._

_Kise himself almost snorted out loud at that, despite the dark mood. Yeah, violence. And wasn’t the beating, the probing and the inhuman training a form of violence, too? The bastards did it to **them** all the time. _

_But Haizaki would pay. First, this dispute had been just between the two of them... but now, he wanted that arrogant weakling **dead** , so he could never touch their sister again. “Now... now I can show him what a poor copy can do. He can pick on me all he wants...“ the blonde hissed, “but he’d hurt Satsucchi. I’ll **break** him for it.” _

_For a moment, Daicchi looked at him, as if he’d grown a second head, but before Kise could ask anything from the Power Forward, their sister emerged from the bathroom in the borrowed clothes and with still-damp hair. She still looked terrible, but it was a notch better, so Kise took that as an accomplishment on their part._

_“Tsuki?“ Daicchi prompted softly._

_Their sister smiled, but Kise could see that it was a fake one. A stage smile used so many times, that a stranger or a random classmate of hers, would not be able to tell, that she was hurting and wanted to cry._

_Tetsucchi grunted as he stood up. Slowly they all shifted to do the same. Kise winced inwardly at the dull pain — sitting like that hadn’t been the most comfortable thing to do._

_Tetsucchi walked over to her and slowly, his blue eyes seeking hers took her hand. “You don’t need to lie to us. Not to us. We know you’re not okay.”_

_“But we’re here to help, wherever we can.” Shinicchi chimed in, not even trying to hide that he cared. He seemed to have shed his tsundere cloak and was speaking honestly. (That was a first, the model noted. At least, a first for him.)_

_“No matter what, you can count on us, Momoicchi.“ Kise added softly, anger and protectiveness still burning in his veins. **Haizaki would pay.** It was time to teach the bastard, what Teikō’s Basketball Club was like. It was time to teach him, that all of them were **family** — all the Strings, even if the seven of them were the closest, practically inseparable, but luckily their acting skills were good enough, so the Teikō alumni didn’t have a clue. _

_And you could not harm one and survive the wrath of the others._

_Kise almost flinched, when his words broke her and she cried, leaning into Shinicchi. She wept for a while and the Shooting Guard gently wrapped an arm around her, to help her calm down. It took a long time, but Kise didn’t blame her for it. Today had been more than simply rough for her._

_Once she seemed collected enough, Seicchi spoke. “Satsuki.”_

_“H-hai, Sei?“_

_“Will that be alright, if Shintarō and Atsushi escort you home?“ their Captain asked._

_Kise stole the redhead a glance and Daicchi cocked an eyebrow, which asked why the redhead hadn’t chosen him or Tetsucchi. Kise didn’t even wonder. The look in the mismatched orbs —and Tetsucchi’s icy ones too, — was a dead giveaway. They had a plan and that somehow involved Daicchi, if Seicchi didn’t let him leave with her._

_“Ah, yes. I— “ her voice broke and she sobbed again, “If you don’t mind?“_

_Atsucchi hummed and walked closer, gently patting her pink locks. “We want Sa-chin safe. We’re going with you.”_

_“Arigato,” she murmured. Atsucchi seemed satisfied with the answer as he couched down and gently tugged her closer, causing her to yelp in surprise._

_“You’ll be safe, Sa-chin. Don’t worry.“ the gentle giant murmured, as he stood up again. Satsucchi’s arms locked tightly around his neck. She blinked down at them and Kise gave her an encouraging smile. Her smile was brief and strained, but it was a tiny victory._

_They watched the three of them disappear and once they were gone, Daicchi spoke, his dark blue eyes like the deepest pits of the ocean, that dragged ships and people down. “What now, Sei?“_

_Their brother’s heterochromatic eyes glinted, like razors. “Now... now we’ll change into something that isn’t our Teikō uniform and we’ll find Shōgo.” as he turned, towards the lockers, his scissors snipped sharply, promising death._

_Oddly enough, the thought made Kise smile. (Kami, he was starting to lose it, with so many bloodthirsty people around him all the time.) It was a good thing, that their training clothes were just randing things they’d brought for themselves._

_For the first time since he had seen the true colours of Teikō’s Basketball Club, he was glad to wear plain training clothes. The sinners paid for their crimes sevenfold, or so, he’d heard. They’d make sure those seven times would be the longest, most painful bits of Haizaki’s life._

* * *

_Kise noted with some surprise, that while Seicchi hated to be lied to, the redhead was a **very** convincing liar. (He tucked that piece of information away for later use. In Teikō, you could never know, what you might need such info for...) He stood in the door of the office, while Tetsucchi and Seicchi had gone to ask one of the women still working —although they were getting ready to leave, so they’d arrived just in time,— for Haizaki’s address since they had some basketball-related planning to do. Or at least, that’s what the two had told in the office. After a few minutes, they came out, Seicchi smiling in a pleasant, yet still-creepy way._

_“I know where we can catch him.“ their Captain said._

_Kise found himself smirking, just like the other two. Tetsucchi wasn’t smirking, but the expression on his face was just as dangerous, if not downright blood-curdling._

_They walked quietly, but purposefully. When they finally left the building, Kise noted with some displeasure, that it was humid, a bit colder, than he would have liked and there was a drizzle. But, as long as it wouldn’t turn into an actual heavy downpour, he could live with it, he supposed. Teaching Haizaki a lesson was more important than his hair._

_The walk towards the park Seicchi mentioned wasn’t long and they spent it in silence all of them stewing in their anger and hate. Kise absently noted that the people on the streets were already in hurry, to escape a possible downpour, but the few who were nearby, gave the four of them a wide-berth path, although he doubted people noticed Tetsucchi, but details, details..._

_They scattered in the park, near Haizaki’s house. Knowing how lazy the silver-haired player was, Tetsucchi pointed out he may cut the route, so they’d adjusted their plans a bit — or at least, Seicchi did. Sometimes, Kise thought it was equal parts awe-inspiring and terrifying, how easily Tetsucchi handled Seicchi... even in his most murderous of moods. Like now._

_Tetsucchi had been the first one to spot Haizaki after good ten minutes of waiting in the rain. It wasn’t too bad, but it was a steady beat and the water was slowly making the fabric stick to his skin and the breeze made the air feel cooler than it was. So his current discomfort made him even more pissed — they were stuck out here because of the bastard. He was so going to **kill** him! _

_His eyes shifted to the path to his right when he heard a familiar voice._

_“Tetsuya...“ the grey-haired male leered, but Kise could see— his face showed surprise, “What brings you here?”_

_“Unsettled scores, Shōgo.“ Tetsucchi returned coldly. Kise gulped and made another mental note never to get on his mentor’s bad side. Ever._

_“Ah, don’t tell me you needed months to gather your courage to face me, **Kuroko-kun~**. Besides, it was just a needle~ “ the other taunted. _

_“Oh, no, you misunderstand, I’m afraid.“ he said, tone low and sharp as he took a step closer. “This score appeared today when you harmed our sister.”_

_That was their clue. Kise moved at the same time, as Daicchi, their steps light and somewhat muffled by the rain. Besides, the idiot’s attention was completely on Tetsucchi, so he would not notice them. If there was anything good, or at least **somewhat beneficial** in all the prodding and probing Teikō did, was that their senses had heightened. And they’d learned to use those heightened senses — and their skills on the court as a whole— in everyday life as well. _

_Haizaki scoffed — or at least Kise assumed he did. “She was fun and that’s it.”_

_“Watch your mouth you scum or we’ll take you apart!” Daicchi growled, as Haizaki suddenly rounded on them._

_Now, Kise allowed the bloodthirsty grin to spread across his face without any restrictions. “We’ll take him apart to pieces anyway, Aominecchi~” he reminded the other gleefully. He would not let Haizaki walk away from here just like that._

_Haizaki snarled at him, but Kise stood his gaze without a twitch and glared back. “You’re just big talk. You can’t even play, Ryōta.”_

_Kise twitched at the too-familiar use of his name. This pest had no right to speak to him that way. He was not Tetsucchi or Seicchi... besides, out of the two of them, Kise knew that **his** skills on the court were superior. Haizaki’s mouth was too big. However, before he could retort with something biting and dirty, Seicchi appeared, scissors snipping, the sound seemingly sharper in the rain, than ever before. _

_“The only one who can’t play basketball here...” Seicchi said, his eyes glinting ominously in the fading light, which was downright demonic, if Kise wanted to be honest, with the falling droplets of water occasionally flashing as well, (now, looking at his brother and Captain like this, he could understand, why some of the Third String members called him some demon taken human form), “Is **you** , Shōgo. And you trespassed every possible line when you harmed not only my players and brothers but our sister as well.” _

_“And for that, you’ll pay.” Dai snarled, leaping at him. Haizaki evaded him, but in turn, he found himself in the path of Sei’s already flying scissors, which caused a rather large, nasty gash on his cheek. Seeing Haizaki’s face contrast into pain and anger filled him with glee._

_Haizaki cursed, but Dai caught him and kicked him in the abdomen. He cried out either in shock or pain — or maybe both— and stumbled. Kise used his moment of disorientation to move and he delivered his kick, which sent the silver-haired player to the ground with a thud, as the ground was getting slippery with mud._

_The next thing Kise registered, that Tetsucchi tossed the scissors back to the original owner, while he knelt next to Haizaki and drove a... letter opener? Yes, a letter knife into his hand. (A part of him wondered from where had Tetsucchi gotten a brand new letter opener, but in hindsight... he didn’t want to know...) Haizaki roared in pain, reaching for Tetsucchi._

_Kise moved on instinct to defend the teal, but Seicchi was closer, so he caught the hand and twisted it backwards, causing Haizaki to roar again. **“Fucking bastards!”** _

_Seicchi’s eyes glinted and he growled softly, yet somehow he still maintained a completely calm and unruffled appearance. “Are we, Shōgo? If I remember correctly **you** had broken Ryōta’s wrist. **You** had stabbed Tetsuya with that needle, pushing whatever concoction was inside, into his system, which by the way could have killed him. And now, **you** dared raping Satsuki. So, who’s the bastard here?” _

_“Did you expect we’d let you walk away?“Daicchi snarled, “We settle things on the court. But you signed your death warrant when you touched Satsuki.”_

_Kise honestly thought his brother would leave it at that, but instead, the Power Forward kicked Haizaki in the shin, causing him to cry out again and glare. Kise smirked, as the other tried standing up, only for his two brothers to remind the other, that they were still on the two sides of him._

_For a moment, they let him struggle like that, but then Tetsucchi yanked out the letter opener from his hand, which caused the other to hiss once more. Then, Tetsucchi had the audacity to wipe the blade clean on Haizaki’s Teikō uniform —and the white part of it, too._

_“I warn you now, Shōgo.“ Seicchi hissed, as Tetsucchi backed away, pocketing the letter opener. (Note to self, if Tetsucchi chose the letter opener for a personal weapon, the way Seicchi used the scissors, better be careful, because his teal brother’s aim was as good, as Shinicchi’s and he’d rather not die... from a sharp letter opener to the eye... or the neck.) “Stay away from **my** players and our manager. One more trick like that and I’ll kill you.” _

_Haizaki snorted. “You wouldn’t dare, Seijūrō.”_

_Was this lowlife a total idiot, with no self-preservation instinct **at all?** Kise wrinkled his nose in disgust. At this rate, they didn’t even have to come after him, because Teikō will kill him first. _

_“Try me, fucker.“ the Emperor snarled and then punched the other in the face. Kise smiled wickedly when he heard the bone break. As Seicchi stood, blood flowed from Haizaki’s nose and Kise spat on him._

_“Next time before you try something with a member of the Basketball Club, remember that **we** — the Kiseki rule the place and you’re **not** one of us.” he leered. _

_For a moment they all glared at Haizaki before turning away and leaving quietly, leaving the other lying in the mud and rain._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are the caffeince of my soul :3


	27. ᴀᴘᴘ: “ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇꜱ“ — ɪᴍᴀʏᴏꜱʜɪ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, the messages here are backwards and no, I didn´t mess it up. They are being scrolled backwards, after all, so the later messages get to be read first.

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

Imayoshi sighed, as he walked back into his room. This training camp was more pain than benefit. He glanced at Sakurai and wondered _how the Hell_ could the apologetic Shooting Guard still be asleep after all the commotion. He peered at the other boy, who looked like a cocoon with all the blankets around him and leaned closer. Then he chuckled and shook his head.

“Earplugs. No wonder we had to shake him to wake him up.“ he murmured.

Well, at least _someone_ could sleep peacefully tonight. He wondered what had woken their manager — a nightmare, that much Seirin’s Phantom had clarified, but nothing else was said. Only that Aomine would handle the situation from then on.

He sighed again and was about to climb into his bed when he noticed a small light. He turned and found a mobile — most likely Aomine’s, since it was his bed,— laying there forgotten, the screen still alight. He blinked at that.

Aomine had been meddling with his phone? He’d been _awake_ when Momoi-chan screamed? Was that why he had been so fast to get out of bed? Sure, Kuroko had been in the room too, but his and Kagami’s room was right next to the girls’ so that wasn’t so surprising. Was Aomine a masochist or something? Not sleeping when he should with all the training they were doing? Not to mention that the Kiseki were doing _even more_...

The screen flashed again and this time Imayoshi couldn’t contain his curiosity. It was not nice, snooping in on others’ messages... but it wasn’t okay to keep secrets from your sempai either. And Aomine was keeping secrets, that much he had deduced since they were here. In fact, from what he heard, all the _Miracles_ were acting oddly...

He walked over and picked up the phone. The notification was clear to see.

 **[ ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇꜱ: ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ 3 ᴜɴʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇꜱ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ, ᴀᴛꜱᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴇɪ** **]**

Imayoshi quirked an eyebrow — he had never heard of an app called _Miacle Messages_ and, like every teen he had message apps on his phone— and swiped his finger over the screen.

**ᴀᴛꜱᴜ: 00:00/ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴀ-ᴄʜɪɴ’ꜱ ꜱᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ?**

Imayoshi blinked. He could only name one person, who called others with “chin“. And there were other messages too...

But before he could scroll anywhere, another message popped up.

**ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ : 00:12/ ᴅᴀɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ. ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ɢᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ, ɪ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴꜱ. ᴀʟᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ʙᴇ ᴀ ꜰᴇᴡ, ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 00:12/ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ. ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴅᴏɴᴇ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜʏᴀ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ’ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ꜰɪᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴠɪᴄᴇ-ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴏᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴀɴ ꜱʜɪɴ. ɴᴏᴡ, ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɴɪɢʜᴛ.**

**ʀʏō: 00:13/ ʏᴇᴀ, ʜᴇ ꜰɪᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ, ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀꜱ ꜱᴄᴀʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅᴛʜɪʀꜱᴛʏ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ, ɴᴇ, ꜱᴇɪᴄᴄʜɪ? ʜᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜɪᴅᴇꜱ ɪᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ...**

**ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ: 00:13/ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ɪᴅᴇᴀ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʀʏōᴛᴀ... ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀʟʟ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ. ꜱʜɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴛꜱᴜ ɢᴇᴛ ᴄʀᴀɴᴋʏ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀ ᴀᴍᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ᴅ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴜʙᴊᴇᴄᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ — ᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴋᴀᴢᴜɴᴀʀɪ-ᴋᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪᴍᴜʀᴏ-ᴋᴜɴ,— ᴛᴏ ꜱᴜᴄʜ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 00:14/ ᴡᴇʟʟ ꜱᴀɪᴅ, ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ᴏʏᴀꜱᴜᴍɪ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ**

Imayoshi blinked, trying to make sense of what was on the screen. The Kiseki were chatting with each other.

And apparently Aomine had said chat app as well (one he had never heard of, at that). And... there were nicknames. They used nicknames for one another too. _The Hell?_

He scrolled downwards in the bubble.

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 23:59/ ᴡᴇ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ, ᴅᴀɪ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴅᴏ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ, ɪꜱ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ — ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴏᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀꜱ ɪɴᴄᴏɴꜱᴘɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ, ᴀꜱ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ.**

**23:59/ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟ. ɪ’ᴍ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʀʏō ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴏɴɢ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀꜱᴛᴀʀᴅꜱ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴇ ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛᴇᴅ**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 23:58/ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ, ᴅᴀɪᴋɪ. ᴅᴏ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇꜰᴜʟ... ᴀꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ, ᴀꜱ ᴘᴏꜱꜱɪʙʟᴇ. ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ɴɪᴊɪᴍᴜʀᴀ-ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ᴄᴏᴍᴇꜱ ꜱᴏᴏɴ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ᴏɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴍʏ ᴜʀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋɪʟʟ ꜱᴀɴᴀᴅᴀ ᴏʀ ᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜᴏᴋᴀ. ᴏʀ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ.**

**23:57/ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ꜱᴡᴇᴀᴛ ɪᴛ, ꜱʜɪɴ. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ**

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 23:57/ ɪ’ᴍ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ꜱᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ꜱᴜꜱᴘɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ. ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ, ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ...**

**23:56/ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀꜱ ʙᴀᴅ, ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇ ꜰᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ. ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ ᴄʟᴇᴀɴᴇᴅ ɪᴛ... ʙᴜᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴏᴡ ʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ, ɪᴛ’ʟʟ ꜱᴄᴀʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀɪɴ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʙᴏᴛʜᴇʀ... ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ʙᴇᴀʀᴀʙʟᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 23:56/ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛᴀʙʟʏ, ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜱʜɪɴ. ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ, ᴅᴀɪ?**

**ꜱʜɪɴ: 23:55 / ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ... ɪ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟʏ ᴄᴀɴ ɴᴏ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʀᴇʜᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅ “ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ“. ᴏʀ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴅʏ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟʏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ...**

**23:55/ ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ʜᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ?**

He gaped. He gaped because for one, Aomine willingly started a civil chatting. And because the Miracles _were chatting with each other, when they appeared to want to kill one another._

Something was up. Something didn’t fit. Why... would the Miracles hide their friendship? He scrolled further. Often, there were messages from Aomine too, but there were parts, were one of the Kiseki left no messages at all.

And from the dates, their messages were constant. All day.

He noticed messages in the afternoon, during the day, when they had lunch break — or maybe others had a free period. Messages in the morning before school. In the afternoon, on their way home from school. While they were at home. Hell, messages in ungodly hours of the night and morning as well.

Like they didn’t know what the word “sleep“ meant or how it was supposed to be practiced. _‘Or they all struggle with nightmares and insomnia.‘_ he thought.

Something was very, very not-okay. Apparently, the entire batch knew of Aomine’s injury. On his _back_. Imayoshi frowned. So that had been blood he’d seen... and Aomine had gotten injured while here, somehow. And the Miracles were worried about Aomine because of it.

The more he scrolled in the message app, the more obvious it was, that they had _Problems_ — with a capital P. He just didn’t know what those problems were...

A string of messages caught his attention. Messages exchanged between Momoi-chan and _Akashi Seijūrō,_ of all people. On Sunday... just before they set off for the camp.

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ: 4:10/ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴍᴇ, ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.**

**ꜱᴇɪ : 4:10/ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ, ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ. ... ɴᴏᴡ ʟᴇᴛ’ꜱ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ɴᴀᴘ, ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʙᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀʟ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇ ᴏɴ ᴅᴀɪᴋɪ.**

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ: 4:09/ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ɪ’ʟʟ ᴛʀʏ.**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 4:09/ ɪ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀʏ. ʙᴜᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ, ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇꜱᴛ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴀꜰᴇʀ... ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ, ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀɴᴅ.**

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ: 4:08/ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ... ɴᴏ? ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴛꜱᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ʀʏō ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ꜱᴇɪʀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋᴀɪᴊō ᴀᴛᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴍᴇᴀɴꜱ ᴡᴇ’ʟʟ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴛ ʜᴏꜱᴛɪʟᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ... ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏɴɢ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʜᴜɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ’ꜱ ꜱᴀꜰᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴋᴀʏ. ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴀꜱ ᴏᴋᴀʏ, ᴀꜱ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʙᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ.**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 4:05/ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ...**

**4:06/ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ... ɴᴏᴛ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ ɢᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴜꜱ ɢᴏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. ɪ ᴛʀᴜꜱᴛ ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ᴛᴏ ɪɴᴛᴇʀꜰᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀɴᴅ, ɪ’ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴜꜱ, ᴡᴇ ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴄᴇ... ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ... ɴᴏʀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ. ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀɪꜱᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴡ. ʀᴀᴋᴜᴢᴀɴ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ɪɴ ᴀ ᴡᴀʏ. ᴛʜᴇʏ’ʀᴇ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴡᴀʀʏ ᴏꜰ ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ ɪ’ᴍ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ... ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏ, ᴀꜱ ᴀ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ Qᴜᴇꜱᴛɪᴏɴ ᴍᴇ, ᴀꜱ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴠɪᴄᴛᴏʀʏ, ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ɪ ᴊᴏɪɴᴇᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ, ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴇʟɪᴠᴇ ɪ’ᴍ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ʙʟɪꜱꜰᴜʟʟʏ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴀɴᴛ. ɪ... ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴇᴇ ᴍᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀꜱ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀꜱ, ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴇ’ᴅ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜɢʜ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ ɪꜱ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴇꜱᴘɪᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴜꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴛ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ɪɴᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ.**

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ: 4:05/ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ, ꜱᴇɪ?**

**ꜱᴇɪ: 4:05/ ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ, ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ. ɪꜰ ʜᴇ ꜱᴀʏꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ, ʜᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴏ ᴛʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ. ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇᴛ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜɪꜱ ᴘʟᴀɴ ɪꜱ... ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ꜱᴀɪᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ...**

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ: 4:04/ ɴᴏ, ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ. ɢᴏɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ... ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇ ꜱᴇᴍᴘᴀɪ ʜᴀᴅ ꜱᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ᴍᴏɴᴅᴀʏ. ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ꜱᴀʏ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ... ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴɢ?**

**ꜱᴇɪ : 4:02/ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀꜱᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ, ꜱᴀᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ. .... ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘ?**

**ᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ: 4:02/ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢ ɴī-ᴄʜᴀɴ, ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇ ꜱʟᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ?**

Imayoshi stopped. He wasn’t one to snoop... and he knew enough. The Teikō batch acted like a group of overly angsty and fluffy... _family_. Like siblings. Akashi Seijūrō was a mother hen when it came to the well-being of the others... if the long string of messages all over the app were any clue. (Why the hell did he force Kuroko to complete the Suicides then? Or the other exercises the six teams did together and Kise or Kuroko seemed ready to die... the redhead forced them to finish all of it, anyway. If he was a mother hen, as Aomine wrote... then those actions were contradicting.) 

And... Aomine and Kuroko wanted nothing than to play with each other again. As Aomine had written, he “didn’t want to forget how to get Tetsu’s passes“.

So the _Kiseki no Sedai_ were a messed up batch... he’d suspected that for a while now... but this seemed far more severe than they understood. Something was up and he didn’t know what.

But he’ll find out.

Imayoshi placed the phone back on the bed and climbed under his covers. From now on, he’ll keep an eye on Aomine — and all the Miracles. And he will find out what’s going on here, even if it meant staring down Aomine. Or Akashi.

* * *

The morning was unusually quiet, as they sat down to eat. Imayoshi kept his findings to himself and watched for reactions. The Miracles looked a bit more haphazard than usual, but they kept chatting with those closest to them — well, Kise did keep up his chatter, mostly meant for Kasamatsu and the rest of Kaijō. Kagami tried getting Sierin’s Shadow to be more communicative, than usual, but it seemed to be failing, to Imayoshi’s amusement and instead, Kuroko silently changed seats, sandwiching himself between _Iron Heart_ and _Yaksha_.

Mibuchi almost jumped out of his skin, when he realised the Phantom now sat in the previously empty seat but said Phantom ignored the protests.

“Stay quiet, Reo or you’ll be doing our training for today.“ Akashi threatened, voice nowhere near as light, as it had been in the previous days. That seemed to quiet Rakuzan’s Vice-cap and he turned to his food instead.

Midorima and Murasakibara were as quiet, as ever, but if the giant ate faster or more than before, no one commented on it, nor did anyone comment on Midorima missing his usual finger wrappings, revealing perfectly kept nails.

The tension seemed to skyrocket when Momoi-chan and Aomine appeared. Imayoshi noted that his Power Forward was nowhere as tense, as before (but he was still not safe to be around if the look in his eyes was anything to go by). It seemed... he had gotten a decent night’s sleep after joining Momoi. Their manager seemed gloomier than usual and instead of letting her hair loose, as most of the time, her pink locks were in a tight ponytail.

Aomine and Momoi sat next to each other and grabbed some food. For a long moment, there was silence around them and it seemed, that despite the rough night, Momoi was still focused enough to eat. That was a good thing, Imayoshi decided.

And then, Seirin just _had_ to speak.

“Hey, what was that last night?“ Imayoshi twitched at the question, that came from Koganei. “Screaming like that isn’t nice you know, when...“

Aomine glared at the other. “None of your concern.”

“Oh, come now, she screamed like a five-year-old because of some goblins under the bed or wha—?” the question was cut off, to Imayoshi’s surprise, as things flew through the air.

Precisely a pair of red scissors and a pocket knife with elegant, black-and-blue grip. Imayoshi’s eyes widened a little. _Who the Hell gave a pocket knife to a High School student?_ Koganei shrieked and ducked under the table, as the instruments cut through the air and then clattered against the wall.

His eyes shifted — the scissors were Akashi’s, that he knew for sure. But the pocket knife? Everyone did the same and obviously, everyone got freaked out — especially Seirin— when they realised, that other than Akashi, Kuroko had his hand raised in a way that indicated he’d thrown something. Both Akashi’s and Kuroko’s eyes were cold and murderous and Imayoshi noted that the _Kiseki_ seemed equal parts uncomfortable, equal parts gleeful at their former teammates’ actions. (Their coaches were also freaked out, but before they could speak, Kuroko did.)

“I suggest, _Koganei-kun_ , take that question back. And no one...“ his cold eyes swept the place and Imayoshi could almost see the icicles forming on his glasses and the windows, “... _no one_ will ask that question again, or neither I nor Akashi-kun will miss the next throw.”

“And if by some miracle, you survive their throws...“ Midorima spoke unexpectedly, glasses glinting more sinisterly than glasses had the right to be..., tone level, but as cold, as Kuroko’s, “We’ll gladly take you to pieces _outside_ court, the way we took Rakuzan apart on court.”

Dread settled in the room and Imayoshi found himself trying to get as far from the Miracles, as possible. Something about them just screamed animalistic danger... ones, who would not shy away from violence. (But damn it of course, they wouldn’t. Two out of six players had a bladed object on their person and they _threw it around_ at their convenience, to treathen people! _Note to self_ , Akashi and Kuroko were _dangerous_ , the latter deceptively quiet and polite, on top of it.)

The suddenly frosty air was broken when Momoi-chan sprang up from her seat and bolted, a few tears running down her face. The action caused all the Miracles to tense and glower at the table even more. (For the first time since they all arrived, the former teammates seemed like a perfect unity. Or like a bunch of overprotective brothers defending their sister.)

A moment later Aomine was on his feet. _“Imōto!”_ he called, whirling on his feet.

“Mine-chin!” the lazy, yet sharp call of Yōsen’s Centre caused Aomine to hesitate for a moment. The Center tossed an apple, which he’d grasped from the table and Aomine snatched it reflexively. “She needs to eat something.” was the flippant note, before the Yōsen student turned back to his meal once more.

Aomine didn’t say anything, merely bolted from the room. Imayoshi sunk into his seat, a bit calmer, now that the situation was resolved somewhat, but the glint of the scissors and the knife still caught his eye. He’d expected a similar reaction from Akashi, he’d seen the scissors before and he’d heard countless rumours about his cruelty and bloodthirstiness. But Seirin’s Phantom? That was new...

 _‘Or maybe not so new...‘_ he thought, recalling the match and the message he’d read on Aomine’s phone.

**ʏᴇᴀ, ʜᴇ ꜰɪᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ, ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ʜᴇ’ꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀꜱ ꜱᴄᴀʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅᴛʜɪʀꜱᴛʏ ᴀꜱ ʏᴏᴜ, ɴᴇ, ꜱᴇɪᴄᴄʜɪ? ʜᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʜɪᴅᴇꜱ ɪᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ...**

That had been Kise’s message about Kuroko... and it seemed the blonde was not wrong. Seirin’s Phantom was as dangeorus, as the redhead, even if he didn’t seem that at first.

Imayoshi’s eyes briefly swept the dreadfully silent table and he resolved to speak with Aomine sometime today. Something was up, he was sure of it, and even if it meant dodging fists, scissors and hunting knives, he’s going to find out _what was going on,_ because _goddamn it,_ this continous tension radiating from the _Kiseki_ and Momoi-chan was slowly fraying his own nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And one more done! :D  
> Please, leave comments and tell me what you think! Training tips for the teams and the Kiseki are still welcome!
> 
> Also, I would be grateful if you left Recs on your bookmarks, if you like the story/series... but of course, that´s your choice...


	28. ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ — ᴋᴜʀᴏᴋᴏ

**_They don't know who I am_  
 _They'd never understand_  
 _What it's like to be me_  
 _I don't wanna be here_ **

_— Victorious BY Skillet_

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

When he woke in the morning, there were no friendly greetings from Kagami or Furihata. Both of them looked at him, darkly, as if he’d just killed someone very dear to them, yet the police hadn’t done anything in that regard.

He frowned inwardly and got trough his morning routine in silence. They didn’t understand. They may hate him now... but he would bear that hatred because he could not have lived with himself, if the alumni got their hands on one of their teammates. All his siblings spoke highly of their teams or at least, showed some form of care and all of them agreed, that this was the best course of action. They would _not_ let more lives get ruined by Teikō.

When he was done, he walked to have breakfast and tried ignoring the loneliness, as neither Kagami nor Furihata had waited for him. He ran into Ryō of the way and they shared a look, an entire conversation passing between them, like always. Then, they got to the tables and Kuroko noticed, that the air was stifled — even more, than usual. Dai and Tsuki were missing, but he was sure Dai would force their sister out of bed, just so she would eat something.

Despite the stiffness, Kagami still called out to him, probably trying to get him to “apologise“ for the match against Rakuzan or something. (He would not apologise for saving people.) “Hey, Kuroko...” He tried being as normal, as possible, but Kuroko could still detect the underlying anger in his voice. “I think we should talk this over about the match and...“ he said quietly.

He shifted just a little, sensing Imayshi-san’s sharp look on him. Why was the Tōō Captain staring? “There’s nothing to talk about.“ he shut the other down, “We won, like always.“

 ~~Winning was everything~~ _._ Oh, how he wished they could have played a lazy match and instead taught Rakuzan about their mistakes...

Because Sei had mentioned, that he feared, that while Rakuzan didn’t have the damaging policies of Teikō (nor were they treating any of their students inhumanly), said policies were uncomfortably close and he didn’t want the team to fall apart.

Kagami flinched anger sparking in his eyes, but Kuroko gave him a stare, that caused his partner to frown and then Kuroko turned away, focusing on his food. Then, Tsuki and Dai arrived. Dai seemed more relaxed than in the past few days, which was good— but by no means was his brother _fine_ —, but in turn, Tsuki seemed twice as bad.

After a tense silence, because that seemed to be the default these days, Koganei asked about Tsuki’s nightmare, but he didn’t say anything, because Dai dropped a warning and he thought his teammate would leave it at that... but of course, he didn’t.

“Oh, come now, she screamed like a five-year-old because of some goblins under the bed or wha—?” 

And that set Kuroko’s blood boiling with rage. Did they not know when to keep _silent?_ Could they not tell it was something _personal?_

His fingers curled around the small blade hidden in the inner pocket of his Seirin sweater (the inner pocket he’d sewn there, to keep said blade somewhere), snatched it open and it went flying through the air at the same time, as Sei’s scissors. That almost made him smile — they were still in sync, after all.

Koganei shrieked and dodged and everyone — student and coach alike,— looked towards them. He could feel Seirin’s stares. Disbelieving and disapproving, but Kuroko didn’t care. He didn’t need Seirin’s approval for anything. They were his team, yes and he cared for them, _but the Kiseki were his family and family came first._

“I suggest, _Koganei-kun,_ take that question back. And no one...“ he stopped for a moment, as he looked at the others present, “ _... no one_ will ask that question again, or neither I nor Akashi-kun will miss the next throw.” he knew that he was on thin ice with his team already, but couldn’t they see this was sensitive?

 _Come now_ , he’d known that some people on his team were bad with reading people and emotions, but this was _ridiculous!_

Shin dropped his warning as well and if the mood was frosty before, Shin’s mention of Rakuzan’s loss made the room feel sub-zero. Tsuki jumped up, Dai hurried after her... only for Atsu to give him an apple and after the scene calmed, the air turned even colder, if possible, but Kuroko couldn’t help himself and he could see, that Sei was also struggling with not strangling someone.

Ah, will this damn camp never end? It felt like an eternity...

* * *

For today’s Suicides Seirin, Tōō and Shūtoku were paired up, the other teams doing something else in the gym.

“Eh, Shin-chan?“ Kazunari called, as they separated from the others. The Shooting Guard looked at his partner.

“Yes, Takao?“

“Eh... it’s the same exercise, right? The one we did on Monday...“

Shin nodded. “Yes, so you know how to do it and it’s fifteen rounds today.”

Many eyes went wide, but Kuroko couldn’t pity them. _“N-Nani?!”_ the teams shrieked as one and Kuroko had to rub an ear, fearing he’d go deaf. Damn it, they were louder, than Dai and Ryō combined, when both were in a foul mood.

“Or,“ Dai called gruffly, glaring at the teams for being too loud, “You can do the ten with us. With _weights._ “ he made a pointed gesture at the wrist and ankle weights that had been dropped on the ground and they were attaching it for themselves, at the moment.

Kuroko frowned a little when he felt the weights settle. A one-pound weight on each ankle and a three-pound weight on each wrist. Damn it, he’d forgotten how these felt. And now, they could make no missteps. They would even have to watch how they ran, lest they risked injuring their ankles. He _loved_ this exercise. [Note the heavy sarcasm.]

Everyone shut up very quickly after that and they all lined up to start. After they took their positions, they shared a look and they took off at the same time. Of course, neither of them ran as fast, as they would have without weights. They all held back on their speed and focused instead on placing their feet right.

No one wasted their breath for speaking as they would sometimes do during Seirin’s training time, but Kuroko wasn’t surprised. His team had learned by now, that Teikō’s routine — even the lightened one _they_ got,— did not allow for chatter and slacking off.

But the silence just seemed to make the tension grow. Seirin had been sending him looks ever since the match and... he had withstood their verbal onslaught after the match, needing every drop of the self-control training and exercises, not to snap at them all, that he and his siblings were doing this, to _protect_ _them_.

_Kuroko stood there, blank-faced, as Koganei, Kagami and Izuki glared at him. Even Hyūga seemed ruffled, although, to the Captain’s credit, he was trying to remain calm._

_“Do you even **love** basketball?!“ Kagami growled, ruby-red eyes narrowed, “Or was that just a lie too, you told me when we met?“ _

_“No, it was not.“ he stated simply because really, he hadn’t lied. He **loved** the sport — it made his and Ogiwara’s friendship special. And then basketball had given him **family** when he was in Teikō. Teikō had been Hell — still was,— but he had his siblings and together they would survive, like always. “It was not a lie and what do you mean “a lie too“? I did not lie about anything, if I recall, Kagami-kun.“ _

_He hadn’t lied about anything. Merely omitted some bloody and cruel truths about Teikō, because he didn’t need, nor want Seirin’s pity or false sympathy and because he wanted to shield them from the true darkness of this world. He had tasted what darkness of men's’ hearts hid, but Seirin were innocent and if he had a say about it, they would remain innocent. The world needed light to progress towards something better. **They** were the darkness of the world, but their teams needed to be the light, the good, the innocent... _

_They would not understand anyway, because even while this camp was hard on their teams, it was the pink-and-fluffy version of Teikō. Well, as pink and fluffy as this goddam place could be, that is._

_The room went up in protests again and Kuroko swallowed hard to resist the urge to snap at them and act “Emperor-like“, as Dai called it._

_(“When you’re like that Tetsu... so Emperor-like... so Sei-like... it’s scary. But it also reminds me, that you’re not as fragile and defenceless, as you look. Reminds me why I admire you.“ he murmured, yet his tone was serious, as he ruffled his hair. Kuroko couldn’t help, but lean into the touch just a bit — he would never admit, but he loved it when Dai ruffled his hair like that. “It reminds me, that behind the Phantom you are on the court, lingers a strong person, who could be a very good leader, just like Sei. Perhaps even better.”)_

_“Then what the hell was that?! You...“ Kagami growled, “You acted just like them! You said that the Generation was a bunch of arrogant pricks, whose only game was to crush others on the court. And you do just that! You helped them do it!”_

_“You acted just like **them**.“ growled Hyūga, “Why?“ _

_Kuroko’s eyes shifted to the Captain. “We’re in Teikō, Hyūga-sempai...“ he trailed off for a moment, “...and I wore Teikō’s colours first and I have not forgotten our saying.“_

_“And what’s that saying?“ grunted Mitobe, looking angrier, than Kuroko had ever seen him, “ ‘Crush everyone, who gets in our way‘, is that it?“_

_Kuroko twitched and raised his blue eyes to the other. This time, he could not help, but glare. He was good at controlling his emotions — Sei’s teachings and the latter emotional conditioning Teikō forced him and Sei trough; it held too well, even today—, but with every passing day, his patience was waning more and more. His self-control was waning and he hated that, because this was Teikō and weakness was not tolerated._

_“ **Hyakusenhyakushō**. That’s Teikō’s motto — the phrase the Kiseki, myself included, learned to live by. The world belongs to the winners, Mitobe-sempai.“ he said calmly. Calmly... when he didn’t feel calm at all. The words burned his tongue. _

_~~To Hell with victory!~~ _ _But victory had meant survival in the past... and today, it meant their teams would remain safe._

_Seirin glared at him sharply. “You’re not the Kuroko-kun we’ve come to love.“ coach murmured, “ **Who are you** because we don’t know you.” _

_He took a breath and slowly started walking away. If he stayed any longer, he will snap and that was not good. He glanced at the team above his shoulder. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya, of course. The Phantom Sixth of the Kiseki no Sedai of Teikō Chūgakkō.”_

_The silence that lingered behind him, was heavier, than anything he’d ever experienced. He felt their accusing stares, but he kept his back straight. This was for their safety, after all._

He took a breath, as he reached the line and turned to run back. He could already feel the heaviness creep into his limbs. When had he rested properly? Not to mention, that his slowly deteriorating mental strength also made things harder. At this rate, Shin and the others won’t just have to worry about Sei killing one of the alumni, if they appeared...

He was brought out of his thoughts by distant cries, shrieks and the sound of distant running feet. Everyone perked up at that and Kuroko turned towards the voice, along with the others. The cries turned sharper and clearer — ‘Get back here!‘ and ‘Stop right now!‘. Words, that were way too familiar, whenever they tried escaping _treatment_.

The teams all stopped to stare and Kuroko found himself inching closer to his brothers, as they tensed up too. They had a hunch what was this about, after all. Moments later four figures appeared, dressed in loose training clothes, their eyes showing fear.

People they all knew — but Kuroko knew them the best. A group of three Second-years and a First-year. Or at least, they had been, when the _Kiseki_ still played for Teikō. Now, they were all a year older. The three glanced behind their back, seeing one of the women follow after them and then, they looked ahead.

Their eyes showed shock and relief. _“Sempai!”_ the blonde of the group called, as the four newcomers slowed and cowered behind their backs.

“Help us! They’re pissed!” and just like that, Kuroko found himself moving defensively in front of them, as Dai and Shin mirrored him.

Shin glanced down at the four Teikō students. “What did you do again?“

“Nothing, Midorima-sempai!” they chorused at once. Kuroko sighed, recalling their names. Asai, Handa, Masuka and Yamane.

Players he’d trained with, ones he’d led. Well, figuratively speaking, because Sei had been the Captain of the whole Club. However, Teikō did not even give the chance for failure and it was always someone from the First String, who had led the mixed Second/Third String teams if they had a match. And... surprisingly — perhaps because Teikō noticed he’d picked up a few of Sei’s skills and was good at playmaking,— it was _him_ , who had been chosen. Having led the lower-String team, as their Captain — those were the only times, rare as they were when he had worn a different jersey on the court. Those times, he wore Four too, like Sei. (Those were the reasons —and the fact, that he had been taught by Sei,— why the Kiseki themselves started seeing him, as the Vice-cap and after witnessing a match he played with this second team, Shin had come up to him and told him he was a better fit and while it had never been made official because the alumni would not have let it... well, he was the Vice-cap. That was a secret of the Basketball Club, as a whole. Something every player knew, but not the alumni.)

A part of him didn’t even want to get into the two feet radius of the alumni member. Another... more stubborn side of him, just decided to remember the words he had told Ryō years ago. The words he’d made the blonde swear upon.

_Kuroko took a deep breath. “We’re... all the same here, Kise-kun. You fend for yourself first, yes. But if you do not pay attention to those around you... you will not even survive a day. You have to keep an odd balance between individuality and team. And all the Strings are a team. And the stronger help the weaker on the team, because in time, even those who are weak, may grow strong. And when they are strong, it’s better to have an ally, than an enemy. Besides...“ his tone dropped even more, “... if you kick a dog one too many times, one day it will have enough and bite back.”_

Kuroko sighed, stepping forward, as Dai and Shin covered the four shaken juniors. It was a woman, who stopped by the edge of the track, her orange eyes flashing, as she noticed their new teams. Kuroko recognised her.

“Abe-san.“

She blinked at him, startling a bit, then she gave a thin, false smile, as she stole a glance at the “foreigners“. Surely, she knew why their new teams were here and the fact, that she was looking at them, made Kuroko’s hackles rise. Then, her eyes wandered back to him. “Kuroko-kun. A pleasure to see you.“

The too-sweet tone made him sick. It was like someone had poured honey down his back and now thousands of ants were crawling in it.

“Likewise, Abe-san. I take you stayed as an assistant, after all?“

She nodded, her face hardening. “Yes, and they...“ she stole a glance at the escaped students, “Are making my work harder, than necessary. We’re going to have one last practise match before the break and they should be doing their _training_...“

Kuroko growled inwardly. His blood was boiling with rage. ' _You mean they should just sit trough the poking and probing you do, like well-trained dogs.‘_

“Ah, a little break does not hurt, sometimes.“

“No it, does not.“ her tone was flat and cold, fire dancing in her gaze. Kuroko didn’t flinch. With Seirin, Tōō and Shūtoku here as witnesses, she would not do anything brash. “But they had a break just ten minutes ago and they’re being lazy.“

 _‘Why do I not believe you, witch?‘_ he thought sarcastically.

He glanced at the four juniors and then at his brothers, before looking back at the woman. “Perhaps they could stay with us?“ he offered sweetly, “We know the routines and we’re going through some of them, too. Four extra people are not a problem.“ he gestured at the teams, “The Captains take care of the teams and we’ll make sure they go through the routine.“

Abe studied him for a moment. “You were the Captain of the Second String, I remember correctly...“

He nodded. “Yes. After all, you couldn’t expect Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun to handle a Club over a hundred members _and_ still aid kantoku.“

That revelation made several people gasp. Abe glanced at his brothers and the juniors and then nodded slowly. “Very well, Sub— Kuroko-kun.”

Kuroko twitched inwardly, hate burning in him, like poison. _‘Call me “Subject 015“ just once more and I’ll kill you and I don’t care, who sees it.‘_

He nodded to the woman, who glared at the four. “You better follow Kuroko-kun’s instructions or you’ll be benched for the upcoming game!” she threatened.

The four shuddered, knowing very well, what being benched meant. “Hai, Abe-kantoku!”

She gave him one last calculating look and then she turned and strode away. Kuroko sighed and turned, just as Dai whacked Yamane on the head.

“ _Reckless brats!_ Pissing off Matsuoka and Abe?! Have you gone _mad_?!”

Kuroko glared warningly. “Keep your voice _low_ , Daiki.“

The Power Forward shrunk a little. “G-Gomen, Tetsu.” he murmured, looking away.

Shin readjusted his glasses, as he looked at the four juniors. “B-but t-they...!” Asai — the blonde,— started, only to be cut off by Shin.

“We _know_ , kid. We attended Teikō too, remember?“ he asked, irritate and tired at the same time, “Still, you’ve just made your situation a lot worse. If not for Kuroko interfering, you would have gotten _worse_ , than a benching on the next match.“

Kuroko almost winced. Few things were worse in Teikō, than being benched... and even fewer people, who heard those words, survived.

“But...“ one of them started.

“I interfered, Midorima-kun, so that does not matter now, does it?“ he called.

Midorima frowned at him. “Getting on the bad side of Sanada-kantoku was never good and you know it.“

 _They’re going to make you regret this, during the next “extra training“,_ his brother said, without actually voicing those words, worry creeping into his tone. Kuroko sighed, knowing that Saturday’s extra training might just kill him.

“You forget what Akashi-kun said, Midorima-kun. Shall I tell him so?“ he countered sharply and the Shooting Guard winced and then sighed.

“Iie, Te—“ he paused and cleared his throat, “Kuroko. I remember very well.“ he said, readjusting his glasses again.

Kuroko held his green eyes for a moment and then nodded to the four juniors. “On the starting line you four and no slacking. The three of us are not the only ones here and you don’t want me to tell the Captain you were troubling Abe-san, do you?”

The four shuddered. “A-Akashi-sempai is here too?“

“Of course he is, brat.“ Dai grunted, “We _all_ are. Now, line up before Tetsu gets in a mood again, throwing around that letter opener of his. I had enough of sharp flying objects for one day.”

The four nodded furiously at Dai and scurried to take their spots.

Kuroko gave the Power Forward a glare. “Must you have mentioned _sharp, flying objects_?“

Dai shrugged. “It’s true. You’re Akashi #2, when it comes to...“

“ _Shut_ your big trap!” Shin snapped, literally clamping his hand on the other’s mouth, noticing his darkening mood. At least Shin noticed — which was kind of odd. It had been always Sei and Dai, who read him the best.

Kuroko smiled sweetly, his hand slipping to his pocket. “Now... now, _Daiki~_ Perhaps you should join our beloved juniors in completing the exercise, before I tell Seijūrō, that you’re being an insolent brat again.“ Dai looked at him in panic and took a step back. Kuroko’s eyes narrowed and he took out the knife, the blade still hidden.

“Kya~! Okay, _okay_ , I’m going just don’t kill me!” and then he turned on his heels, running to join the other four.

Shin looked at him with wariness. “K-Kuro-Kuroko...“

“You should be joining them as well, _Shintarō_.“ the blade popped out and the Shooting Guard squeaked.

“H-Hai, Cap’n.“ he turned on his heels as well and joined the others

Kuroko watched them for a moment and then fixed his knife and tucked it away. He looked at the three teams watching in terrified silence, but Seirin had the worst expressions. Their faces were as white, as their jersey and the First Years were cowering behind Hyūga and Aida. Shūtoku and Tōō looked like they were ready to hightail out of the city itself.

“So... shall the Captains line up the teams?“

“O-of ocurse, K-Kuroko.“ Hyūga murmured.

Kuroko sighed. He hated to terrify the hell out of people, but sometimes it was necessary. (Besides, he couldn’t let that Akashi comment slide. Dai would later thank the kami, that it was him, who had heard it and not the afforementioned redhead.) It was better for people to fear him and Sei... instead of not fearing anyone and doing something stupid. If they did something stupid, the alumni might get rid of them, just to protect the secret of their dark dealings.

If Haizaki was still alive... well, he was surprised the former Club member hadn’t said anything about Teikō’s true nature to anyone, but then again, Haizaki had never been the brightest lightbulb... he’d always been brash and full of pride and jealousy. Jealous at him for getting in Sei’s good graces and practically becoming Vice-cap and jealous as Ryō for being better and for being stronger and healthier, his body reacting better to all the drugs — it was than, that Haizaki had started becoming a real liability. When Ryō turned up and when, to protect him better, Akashi had taken him under his wing, while Dai lingered around both him and Ryō.

Teikō had taught them survival. Teikō had taught them to grow up fast or they will die. Teikō had taught them responsibility.

And, Kuroko thought, as the teams lined up and he joined his brothers, he will be the responsible one here. They will be. They’ll protect their teams, even if the people they cared for and called friends would hate them for it.

Because the _Kiseki_ were survivors of Teikō and it was their responsibility to make sure, that no one would have to go trough the horrors they’d gone trough.

 _Responsibility was sometimes lonely,_ Akashi had said once. Kuroko didn’t understand then. Now he did —and he was sure, if he asked, his other siblings would say the same. Because, in a way, they were alone, isolated from their teams, bearing their scorn. Bearing the pain, so _they_ would not even have to know a place like Teikō existed.

( _And,_ a tiny voice hissed in the darkest crevices of his mind, _they would not let another team like theirs rise, no matter what. They were the Kiseki ~~Kaijū~~ no Seidai of Teikō and they were the strongest. The victors. Because the world belonged to the victors. ~~Victory guaranteed you lived to see another day~~._)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hyakusenhyakushō" is Teikō´s short motto, which translates to "Ever-Victorious".  
> Ah a bit clumsy chapter... I was trying to make it so Kuroko tries taking over some of Akashi´s "work/responsibility", as Akashi himself wasn´t present and how he feels about it... tried showing the duality I had done with Akashi... that he does/says things he rather would not, but it´s the only way to keep them safe.
> 
> Also, please leave comments and tell me what you think. Your comments keep me going! :)


	29. ꜱʜᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴀꜱᴋ — ᴋɪʏᴏꜱʜɪ

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

Seeing a group of students run from their coach while screaming at their sempai — who were, the _Kiseki_ in this case,(it was a bit odd because Kuroko was a cute kōhai and he had to remind himself, that for others, especially Teikō students, Kuroko was just as known and “(in)famous“, as the rest of the team,)— was not something Kiyoshi expected when he thought about Teikō. Honestly, by now, he didn’t know _at all_ , what to think about the elite school. ~~This place felt more like a military encampment.~~

Then seeing Kuroko of all people, approach the woman who’d come after the students had been odd. There was something odd about her, even though he couldn’t name, what it was. Kuroko was always hard to read... but these days the Phantom was oddly tense and that tenseness seemed to multiply when the woman appeared.

When Kuroko mentioned something about a break... Kiyoshi glanced at the four, who just popped up. They seemed winded and knowing what training the _Kiseki_ did... Teikō was a clear example of _a breakneck_ regimen. (Hell, the _Kiseki_ had _**extra** _ training all the time, after the daily routines for the teams were done and Kiyoshi was honestly surprised Kuroko hadn’t crumpled dead yet. Or Kise. Or both. The two of them had the lowest stamina, after all.)

Then he offered to let the newcomers train with them and Kiyoshi raised an eyebrow. What was Kuroko thinking? Random players don’t just speak like that to a coach... the Captain and the Vice-cap maybe, but Kuroko? He was just a regular of Teikō. A _Kiseki_ , yes, but a regular... that thought process was cut off, as he heard the next words.

Abe studied him for a moment. “You were the Captain of the Second String, I remember correctly...“

He nodded. “Yes. After all, you couldn’t expect Akashi-kun and Midorima-kun to handle a Club over a hundred members _and_ still aid kantoku.“

Kiyoshi blinked. Kuroko had been _**what**_?!

“Kuroko, as Captain?“ Hyūga whispered next to him, “Why _can’t_ I imagine him making players like Aomine do their drills?“

Kiyoshi’s eyes narrowed, studying the Phantom for a moment, before he answered, glancing at his friend. “There’s more to Kuroko than it meets the eye, Hyūga. I can’t get a read on him... but _something_ about him... faintly, but he gives off that same dangerous feeling, as Akashi. And I remember Kise saying, that Kuroko had been his mentor. But before that, _Akashi_ mentored Kuroko.”

Hyūga nodded slowly. “That’s something, I suppose. He had to pick something from Akashi... because I have to admit, for a First Year, the brat is goddamn intimidating.“

Kiyoshi smiled and jabbed the other lightly. “Perhaps it would be safer for all of Seirin if you didn’t call him a brat, Hyūga, considering how a bunch of prideful players like the _Kiseki_ and the other Generals crumble under him.“ he murmured, “And Kagami too,” he added as an afterthought.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sempai.“ their ace muttered darkly, but Kiyoshi brushed it off and then his attention was drawn to the Teikō group again, as Aomine’s loud voice sliced through the air.

“ _Reckless brats!_ Pissing off Matsuoka and Abe?! Have you gone _mad_?!”

Kiyoshi winced at the loud volume and then suddenly, the hairs on his neck stood, as Kuroko’s icy gaze narrowed on Aomine. It was a murderous look... something they’d never seen on Kuroko before.

“Keep your voice _low_ , Daiki.“ Kuroko growled.

Kiyoshi didn’t know what bothered him more. The way Kuroko sounded or the way he used Aomine’s given name so similarly to Akashi. It was... _creepy_. (Note to self, Kuroko could be _dangerous_ , tread carefully.)

Kiyoshi heard a small chuckle from Imayoshi, perhaps half-amused, half-approving, as Tōō’s Ace shrunk under the Shadow’s icy glare. (It was hard to believe, that in the morning, it had been _Aomine_ , who threatened the table after they asked about Momoi... but then again, Akashi and Kuroko had thrown sharp objects at Koganei...)

“G-Gomen, Tetsu.” Aomine’s answer sounded odd... tame and powerless, as he watched the Shadow, looking like a deer caught in a headlight. Kiyoshi would have smiled at the sight... if the vibes Kuroko gave off (and the expression on his face, as subtle as it was), weren’t giving him cold shivers. Something in him whispered that he should run or kneel and beg for his life.

“Getting on the bad side of Sanada-kantoku was never good and you know it.“ Midorima’s voice drew him from his thoughts once more and he waited for an answer. The Shooting Guard sounded... deadly when he said those words as if Kuroko had just signed his execution papers or something.

“You forget what Akashi-kun said, Midorima-kun. Shall I tell him so?“ Kuroko’s voice was low, but his words sharper, than any blade and Shūtoku’s ace winced, cowed. Kiyoshi quirked an eyebrow. Would Kuroko be able to make his former teammates look this... wary too? Well, maybe not Akashi, but could he talk Kise and Murasakibara down, the way he talked these two down? If _yes_ , that meant Teikō had two Akashis... and that thought made him uneasy. He wondered how the Teikō Club survived between Akashi’s scissors and Kuroko’s knife...

“Iie, Te—“ Midorima paused and cleared his throat, “Kuroko. I remember very well.“

 _‘Did he just try calling Kuroko by his given name?‘_ he thought, noticing the slight falter. _‘Why would he? They don’t seem close at all... in fact, all this time the Kiseki seemed tense and now the two seem downright terrified of Kuroko, so that doesn’t make sense...‘_

Kuroko stared icily at Midorima and then nodded to the juniors. “On the starting line you four and no slacking. The three of us are not the only ones here and you don’t want me to tell the Captain you were troubling Abe-san, do you?”

The four shuddered. “A-Akashi-sempai is here too?“

Kiyoshi hummed at their reaction. Fear... a lot of it, but there was a spark of respect and admiration too. Just how the Hell did Akashi get the entire Club to fear him so much, that they reacted like this, even now, that he no longer attended Teikō? (In hindsight, maybe he didn’t want to know.)

“Of course he is, brat.“ Aomine grunted, looking at the junior, who’d spoken, “We _all_ are. Now, line up before Tetsu gets in a mood again, throwing around that knife of his. I had enough of sharp flying objects for one day.”

Kiyoshi blinked. Somehow he didn’t like that choice of words... it implied that Kuroko had thrown around his knife rather often and that so far, Seirin had been kami damn lucky not to have seen that side of their Shadow. Something cold crept up on his spine at the thought. Something cold and dreadful.

After the juniors took off, Kuroko glared at his former teammate again, his tone so cold, that Kiyoshi feared Tōō’s ace might get frostbite. “Must you have mentioned _sharp, flying objects?_ “

Aomine _dared to_ shrug and Mitobe took a step back, muttering. “Aomine’s _lost his mind_ , provoking Kuroko even more.” Kiyoshi agreed with him and from the mutters around them, the other two teams shared the sentiment.

“It’s true. You’re Akashi #2 when it comes to...“

As those words left Aomine’s mouth, Wakamatsu hissed. “Fool! But then again, fools die first...”

Midorima was wiser, as he slammed a hand on Aomine’s mouth glaring, as he threw a wary glance at Kuroko. (In any other situation, Kiyoshi would have thought that people, who looked warily at Kuroko, were mad, but not _now_. But then again... the dangerous dog was not the one, that barked. No... the ones that bit the hardest were the silent ones.) And Kuroko was a prime example of the silent type.

The way Kuroko moved, slow like a stalking predator... “Now... now, _Daiki_ ~. Perhaps you should join our beloved juniors in completing the exercise, before I tell Seijūrō, that you’re being an insolent brat again.“

Kuroko took out the knife and they all shuddered. “Hell, the kid’s really like the second coming of Rakuzan’s Captain.“ someone from Shūtoku hissed in panic, “I’m so glad we got the quirky, but _sane_ Miracle.”

“Kya~! Okay, _okay_ , I’m going just don’t kill me!” Aomine squawked and then turned on his heels and joined the juniors.

Next to them, Imayoshi murmured something about half-mad people being better at handling Aomine, than he and their coach were, combined. This revelation ruffled Tōō’s Captian, but Kiyoshi wasn’t in a humorous mood... because damn it, Kuroko seemed danger... (In any other setting, Aomine’s reaction to Kuroko might have even been hilarious.)

 _Wait_ ... what... his eyes were _sad_ ? He just threatened his former teammates with a pocket knife, so why the Hell would he be _sad_? Yes, definitely. His face was a cold impassive mask with hints of something... darker, but his eyes were sad. As if he regretted having to treat his former teammates, the way he was treating them. (Which just didn’t seem to add up, with all, that had transpired.)

“You should be joining them as well, _Shintarō_.“ Kuroko called and Kiyoshi frowned a little. The way Kuroko used his former teammates’ given names... it wasn’t okay. Kuroko was too polite, to call them by their given name so randomly when he had called them by their family names before.

But... despite the oddly menacing emphasis... there was an undertone. Regret? Worry? Fondness? He couldn’t even pinpoint what it was. Kuroko was impossible to read, but now that he was interacting with the other Miracles, it was easier to get a glimpse of the true him.

“H-Hai, Cap’n.“ Midorima said and turned to do the exercise, too. He wasn’t even surprised, that the Shooting Guard called Kuroko Captain. After today, very few things would be able to surprise him, he thought.

Kiyoshi wondered why Seirin had never seen the _real_ Kuroko, the one not concealed behind that blank mask. _‘What are you hiding Kuroko? What’s so bad, that you’re willing to crush a team for it and then threaten people in a way, like this?‘_

Kuroko turned towards them, his face still cold and closed off and for a moment, his eyes flashed with something. To Kiyoshi’s eternal relief, the knife was hidden once more, although he had no doubt, if someone gave the Phantom a good reason, it would be sailing through the air again.

And that, considering the incredible arm strength he may have despite it not looking as such _and_ the accuracy, that rivalled Midorima’s...(because those passes of his were goddam accurate) well, it didn’t sound good. _‘Note to self, Kuroko is more dangerous, than Hyūga, when pissed. If I have to choose between a pissed Hyūga and Kuroko... I choose Hyūga. It’s likelier I stay alive then...‘_

“So... shall the Captains line up the teams?“ the tone was back to the usual blankness, but the danger still lurked beneath.

And it seemed Hyūga noticed too because he quivered and stuttered, as he nodded to their Phantom. “O-of course, K-Kuroko.“

* * *

It was hours later, when they finished the murderous exercise, that Kiyoshi found the chance to approach his kōhai. With the scene has unfolded in such a way, Seirin had kept away from him and no one protested about the way the Phantom had overseen today’s training. And... from all of that, Kiyoshi could tell, that Kuroko had some sort of experience in overseeing such things.

Perhaps because he’d been the Captain of Teikō’s Second String team?

He paused for a moment, still a good distance away (but still close enough to hear the conversation faintly), when he noticed the Teikō students, who’d joined them standing in front of Kuroko. They looked relieved and grateful. “Thank you for saving us, Kuroko-sempai.“ they said quietly, bowing low.

As in _really_ low, as if Kuroko were the Emperor or some such... _The Hell?_

“You don’t have to thank me. Once of Teikō...“ he trailed off for a bit, pain creeping into his voice, “...is always of Teikō. And it was our responsibility, —it’s still our responsibility— as the First String to protect you. You know, if I hadn’t stepped up, Shin or Dai would have.”

Kiyoshi blinked... did he just call his former teammates by an _affectionate nickname_?

“We know, sempai.“ the blonde murmured, “and we’re grateful to all three of you. Please give our greetings to the Captain and the others as well.”

Kuroko smiled and ruffled the blonde’s hair. “I will tell them. Seijūrō and the others would probably be relieved to hear you’re still here.”

 _Again_. Calling Rakuzan’s Captain by his given name with no hesitation at all. And... his tone was soft, loving, as he spoke the redhead’s name. Like one would speak of a very close friend or a sibling...

“W-why are you back, though?“ a brown-haired kid asked.

Kuroko smiled, but it was sharp and bitter. Sad and angry. “You cannot escape Teikō, Asai-kun. Not even I or my teammates can.“

Kiyoshi’s brow knitted at the choice of words. _Escape_ Teikō? What was going on here? And... why would he call the Miracles his teammates, when all this time, they seemed to be ready to kill one another? Something wasn’t okay with Teikō...

Kiyoshi shook his head, walking closer, this time making sure to alert the others of his presence. He’d heard enough — besides, if he lingered, he would risk being found eavesdropping, with how observant the Phantom was. Better knowing half of this, than having to explain, why he was snooping around. (Which he wasn’t, overhearing this had been an _accident_.)

“Kuroko!” he called, as they all looked towards him.

The Phantom nodded. “Kiyoshi-sempai.“ he glanced at the Teikō students, “Mina-san, this is Kiyoshi Teppei. Founder of Seirin’s Basketball Club and our Center. Oh and one of the _Uncrowned Generals.”_

The junior’s eyes went wide and Kiyoshi smiled, looking at Kuroko. “Maybe you like throwing around your moniker, Kuroko-kun... or at least the other Miracles do... but I don’t. I just know things, when it comes to basketball. But it can be learned, as long as one has a passion for the game.“ he pointed out.

Kuroko’s eyes glinted with approval and he nodded. “Well said, sempai, but it doesn’t hurt them to meet someone close to _our_ level.“

“Hm, maybe not. A reminder that with some hard work, they might be like that no? Because as much as people put you down, Kuroko-kun... you’re strong. I heard from Hayama he tried interfering one of your passes and hurt his hand in the process.”

Regret flashed through the blue eyes. “Perhaps Akashi-kun should have warned his teammates, that there had been a time I broke someone's hand because he did exactly what Hayama-san had done. Tried getting a pass of mine originally meant for Aomine-kun.”

Somehow... this time Kuroko didn’t sound apologetic about breaking this mystery person’s hand. He was almost _jolly_? Maybe. It was so hard to tell with Kuroko... “Really, who was he?“

“An _unfortunate_ First String member and that was around the start of our second year.“

Okay, now he sounded malicious. (Note to self, don’t get into Kurko Tetsuya’s bad books.) It seemed he was making many mental notes about the Phantom today.

“I see.“ he glanced at the Teikō students, “I wouldn’t want to steal you from your admiring kōhai, but Riko wants to see us.”

“Ah, very well.“ he nodded to the Teikō students, “It was nice seeing you again. Do be careful in the future, please. Abe-san has a foul temper, from what I remember.“

“We noticed, Kuroko-sempai. But thank you again.”

They left the Teikō students behind them and walked in silence for a long while, almost making it back to the hotel. While Kiyoshi knew it was probably not his problem, he also wanted to help. “Kuroko-kun.“

The Phantom glanced at him. “Hai, sempai?“

“You seem tense since we arrived and today...“

“I apologise for that scene, sempai. You were not supposed to see such a thing. I lost my temper.”

Kiyoshi frowned inwardly. _‘There’s more to this, than lost temper, isn’t there, Kuroko?‘_

“But I can see something’s troubling you too. You know, the reason you have sempais... we help you.“ he smiled, “So if you need help, you just have to tell us.“

“The team does not see it that way.“

Kiyoshi winced and then sighed, studying Kuroko. “Something’s not right here. That’s not how you play.“ Kuroko suddenly stopped and Kiyoshi was forced to do the same. He looked at the younger. “And you... you guys were trying to hold back in the first quarter.“

Kuroko winced at that. “Sempai...“

“Something’s not right...“

“We’ll deal with it.“ was the frigid answer. Suddenly, the cold, sinister look from before was back on the Phantom’s face and Kiyoshi felt like cold fingers wrapped around his spine, ready to shatter it, to immobilise him. He’d never seen Kuroko like this before.

So dark. So _intimidating_ , as if he’d taken a page out of Akashi’s book.

“Please do not interfere, Kiyoshi-sempai. I appreciate your concern for me, but this is between us, _Kiseki_. It’s personal.“

Low, dangerous, frosty tone. A subtle death threat without actual words, that threatened his well-being. Kiyoshi frowned and then sighed. He’d rather _not_ die — because Kuroko looked like he was ready to kill and damn it, he even had a knife.

“Very well. But know... that if you need help, I’m here. The others may not see it, but I know something’s not okay. If you...“

“It’s safer for us all if you kept your head low, sempai. _Please_.”

Kiyoshi frowned again, but nodded in understanding, after hearing the naked pleading in the teal-haired teen’s voice. He’d drop this for now... but he’ll keep an eye on Kuroko. (Maybe he should ask the team members close to the other Miracles if they’d noticed something strange?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As alway, please leave comments. Comments are my life force :D


	30. ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ — ᴍɪᴅᴏʀɪᴍᴀ

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

He would have liked to scream and rage at those around him, that they were human too, that they _mattered_ too. But of course, he knew that Teikō didn’t think so — they were just lab rats for those in white. Lab rats, whom Teikō could use to gain even more fame and... while he didn’t know what these men and women wanted to achieve with all these experiments, he was sure, that they profited from it somehow. After all, these days, money made the world go round.

Money and power, things that walked hand in hand.

And somehow, Teikō profited from them. Or from the things they were given. Somehow. It didn’t matter much. What mattered, was that no one had the fucking guts to stop Teikō from doing, what they did. Hell! Akashi Masaomi and his father were sponsoring this hellhole, just as Kuroko’s parents had done, before their death.

You could not escape Teikō.

“Shin-chan?“

Midorima perked up at the familiar call. “Yes, Takao?“

“How have you stayed alive?“

Midorima’s brows furrowed in worry. Takao couldn’t know... no... No, he just couldn’t! He took a breath. _‘Calm down. You can’t be sure he means Teikō. Keep calm... we’ve been careful not to let things be known. They mustn’t get dragged into this. Ever.‘_

“Alive? What in the name of kami are you talking about, Takao?“ he asked, pulling a clean shirt over his head, the big door of the drawer was open and Takao was sitting on the bed. Like this, the Power Guard couldn’t see the bruises he’d gotten on Wednesday, after that too-close-to-fail during extra practice. Nor could Takao see the faint marks of needles and blades all over his chest and back. But as the shirt settled on his form... well, he felt better. Like this, Takao would never have to see what he was like. (Ever since they’d left Teikō, he’d always taken extra care not to be seen changing and by now, his teammates were long used to the fact, that he never changed with them.)

“Well... Kuroko and Akashi... don’t seem... you know, _fine_ . In the head. Should have known that someone so _blank_ wasn’t healthy and...”

“Takao!“ he growled lowly, glaring at his friend and roomate. The other reeled back, but Midorima wasn’t done. “Do not even _suggest_ , that they are mentally instable. They are completely _fine_ . It’s in their nature. I hear you suggesting something like this again, I will use _you_ for a ball, during my next shooting practice.“ he warned coldly, “Are we _clear_?”

(No, Sei and Tetsu weren’t fine— but they weren’t clinically mad either, as his friend was suggesting. He wasn’t fine, either. _No one was fine_... but Takao didn’t have to know that. The less Takao knew, the more distance Takao kept from him now, the safer he was. Teikō was bound to take interest in those, who were the closest to them and Midorima would not let that happen. No one would. Their teams would be safe from this mess, no matter what.)

Besides, he wasn’t going to protest about their nature either. All of them had killed — all six of them had, at one point. But Sei and Tetsu had the highest kill count out of them all, only because the two of them shoulered the entire Club. The two of them killed, so the rest of them would not have to. They killed, so that _they_ — not only the seven of them, but the entire Club,— were safe. Sei and Tetsu had protected them and for that, he was grateful. The least he owed those two, was to hear them out and listen to them, when they spoke something true. When the two of them thought for all of them. Of course, there were times, when the two had lost it... but during those times, Midorima had taken over in ditecting the Club and the rest of them had shieled Sei and Tetsu. Protected them, when they could not protect themselves.

Takao looked at him started and puzzled, but after a very long moment of silence, he nodded. “C-clear. Gomen, Shin-chan.”

He grunted and closed the wardrobe, before walking over to the bed, to grab his training shoes. He glanced at his phone. They had fifteen minutes to arrive — if they were late, Sanada and Matsuoka will raise Hell (which was a feat, consiering that Teikō was as close to being Hell, as something on Earth could be).

Takao eyed him sharply. “You’ve had extra training all week...“ he murmured, “Aren’t you tired? I mean, the drills we’re doing are bad enough anyway. And... you know. Rest and all that.”

Midorima almost smiled bitterly. Instead, he counted till five in his head and put on a Tetsu-worthy blank mask. “It’s Teikō, Takao. We’ve done this for years. Shūtoku’s strong, that’s why I chose this school... but Teikō’s different.“ he stood up, ready to go, “Don’t wait for me. I don’t know how long Akashi will make this one.“

“Akashi?“ he asked, “Eh, you have what... three coaches? What does Akashi have to do with the training?“

“He oversees it, rather often. And Sanada-kantoku realised a long time ago, had it not been for Akashi’s nature, we would have fallen apart, even before we made a name for ourselves. So yes... there are times when he oversees the training. And Murasakibara apparently pissed him off today. That’s never good.”

Even before Takao could ask anything else, he slipped out. On the way to the door, he met his other roommate. “Eh, where to, Midorima?“

He shrugged. “Extra training, Miyaji. Now, if you excuse me, I’ll leave before I’m late.“ and he spd past the other, before a syllable could be uttered.

Ignorance is bliss, they said. In this case, it meant their teams’, their friends’ safety.

* * *

On the way there, they were quiet and tense. Midorima didn’t even want to think of what exercises they would have to get trough. Some of the exercises were pretty average... but the number they had to complete from them was not alright. He just focused on keeping his breathing even, as they entered the gym once more. The moment they set their foot inside, they were immediately separated.

This time it wasn’t someone, whom he knew, that stayed to oversee his training. The person staying was just one of the many, who would have deserved drowning in a pit of lava or perhaps get stabbed by Sei. Or Tetsu. Or both — whoever reached her first. Midorima considered doing it himself, but there was nothing he could use.

The woman eyed him coolly and then glanced down at her clipboard, before gesturing to the ground. “Proceed with the push-ups.”

He glared at her, but she made an impatient gesture and a man — older and stronger, than Midorima,— appeared. Before he had the chance to move, the man grabbed him roughly and kicked his knees causing him to fall with a cry.

“I said, proceed with the exercise, _Subject 007_.”

Midorima squeezed his eyes shut as he stood up and stumbled away from the two, to find a spot. “Twenty in one go, two-minute break and then thirty in one go and another two-minute break, before you start with twenty again.“

Twenty, thirty, twenty, thirty... damn those numbers and these killer exercises.

He did a few simple push-ups to get his body used to the moves again. When he felt that it got him moving again. He was already tired from today... any more and he might just faint. He frowned.

Down and when he was back up again he lifted his arm and extend his hand towards the ceiling. He rolled to the elevated position again. Then down and push back up and this time his other arm was lifted and he rolled again to land in the starting position. Down and push back again...

He could already feel his tired muscles protesting against the workout, but stopping meant punishment.

* * *

After he was done, he grabbed a ball and did a quick, simplified version of the ball-handling exercise... that was when he heard the commotion. Back then, when they still wore Teikō’s uniform, they learned to ignore these sort of sounds. Sounds of someone resisting being carried away.

But now... knowing that there were not so many people around, he couldn’t help but look up and his eyes went wide. A man and a woman were holding Tetsu and dragging him away, while his Phantom brother was doing his best, ignoring the kicks he was getting. The physical pain was better than being dragged away, after all.

Their eyes met. Deep green on icy blue.

His dribbling lost rhythm and Tetsu’s eyes narrowed and even without his lips moving, Midorima could hear the too-calm words of the team’s Sixth Man. _Keep your head low, Shintarō. I will deal with them._

Still, every protective instinct... every muscle in his body... _everything_ in him was screaming to save his brother from whatever punishment Teikō had cooked up for him. He knew Tetsu will get punished for stepping up today... but he also knew that Tetsu would not have let those kids get harmed, just to save his skin. Neither would have Sei.

 _Tetsu..._ he pleaded with the teal, without saying it out loud. He knew Tetsu could get away if he wanted.

 _Trust me, brother. Keep your head low and stay safe. Sei will take care of you for now._ Midorima swallowed hard. Even without audible words, they could hold entire conversations. Situations like this one had been what forced them to learn such a way of communication.

He held the other’s gaze for a moment, but as the man looked his way, Midorima ducked his head low and returned to the exercise, the ball hitting the floor with far more strength, than necessary. Then he whirled on his heels and shot. The ball flew through the air and fell through the hoop, not even disturbing the net.

He would have liked to scream when he heard the distant sound of a door closing. He would have like to stab someone then so that the bastards would leave Tetsu alone... but he was also tired, broken, hopeless. He didn’t know what to do, because even if he could save Tetsu now... it might draw the attention of their teams and he didn’t want more innocents to fall into the clutches of Teikō.

So, he did the thing he had always done. Swallowed the scream and the unquenchable thirst for blood and did his best to get through his drills without fail, because he knew Tetsu wouldn’t want him to but hurt.

* * *

It was rather late, by the time they made it back — all of them, save for Tetsu. Only the gods knew what the bastards were doing to him.

Midorima wanted to scream. Tsuki and Dai looked like they were made of the most fragile porcelain and would shatter the moment someone touched them. Atsu shrunk on himself and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. Ryō was struggling with tears and panic...

Whatever the bastards had done to Tetsu, it involved blood and they’d forced Ryō to watch after the blonde had tried saving Tetsu. Now Sei was doing his best to calm him down, but it was hard. Midorima wished he could help, but he didn’t feel up to the task.

He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He didn’t even know, how he would walk back to his room and deal with Takao...

“Ryōta...“ Sei tried, tugging the blonde closer. Ryō’s breathing was still uneven, but the firm grip Sei had on him, speaking to him in a hushed tone, was slowly working.

Midorima slowly curled his taped fingers into a fist and he wished someone was here, one of _them_ , so he could kill the bastard slowly and painfully, for what they’d done to his brothers.

_‘Hold on, Tetsu. Nijimura-sempai said he’s coming, to end this. he’s never broken his word before...‘_

It was barely the end of the first week, but Midorima had no strength left. He wondered if they would pull through the second week...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah... a bit clumsy... sorry.  
> Nonetheless, please leave comments and tell me what you think :)


	31. ᴛʀᴇᴍʙʟɪɴɢ — ᴋɪꜱᴇ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, there is a short flashback in this chapter, with bigger space and italics :)  
> Usual WARNINGS apply: Blood, Violence, human Experimentation, ect.
> 
> Enjoy!

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

Kise winced, as he landed badly after the dunk. _Ouch_... copying Seicchi was still a bad idea, it seemed. He staggered a bit, but still managed to catch himself in the last moment, just as the bell tolled.

 _“Subject 008, exercise completed. Evaluation passed.”_ the voice from the loudspeaker announced.

Kise could barely hear it. He was too tired to even feel relieved. Copying his teammates was still tiresome. In the beginning, he couldn’t hope to copy any of his siblings — which was, apparently, Teikō’s goal. To mould the perfect players out of his siblings and then add someone like him, who could copy (almost) all of them, to fit any possible position on the court.

The only one he still couldn’t copy, even after all this time, was Tetsucchi. But... that was okay. Well, Tetsucchi had his fancy passes... but in all honesty, Kise was a bit hesitant to try copying those. He’d always been hesitant to copy his siblings because his ability already took much energy and concentration. Copying his siblings’ special abilities, was even more tiresome.

Not to mention time-consuming on the court. Sure, if he were playing with his siblings still, their skills would give him those extra few minutes he needed. Kaijō, however... Kaijō was _good_. But he doubted they were good enough to give him the time he needed. Besides, he would prefer asking his siblings’ permission, before using their tricks during a game.

He never bothered asking for permission from anyone. Back at Teikō, such things didn’t matter. Only the match mattered. ~~Winning mattered because winning was everything. Winning meant surviving.~~

But it was a different situation with his siblings. His siblings had helped him through hard times, had protected him. The least thing he could do was ask, if he could use their tricks, if he ever needed them. He took another breath and slowly stood up, sweat still pouring down his face and body. Even his hair was wet — ah, damn it.

The door opened and a woman appeared making a careless gesture, as she walked past. “You are dismissed, Subject 008.”

Kise’s brown eyes narrowed in hate. _Dismissed_ . She was speaking as if he weren’t even human. Was he or was he not? ~~He could not decide what they were anymore.~~ _Kaijū no Sedai_ , some whispered, fear and hate sparking in their eyes. Have those players been true?

_Kise sighed. The match had been a tiresome one, even if he’d only played two quarters, switching with Tetsucchi at half-time. They’d won, as always. After Tetsucchi had stepped up, Daicchi had become unstoppable. Between Seicchi’s perfect play make and Tetsucchi’s passes, their opponents — Yoneya Chūgakkō— didn’t even have a chance._

_Hell, about half the points had been thanks to Daicchi. With his abilities finally showing, the way Teikō wanted, Daicchi had become a beast and Tetsucchi had changed his passes to accommodate Daicchi. Shinicchi muttered something during the third quarter’s break, that another pass like that from Tetsucchi and his wrist will snap, the way Haizaki’s had snapped months before. After a murmur of sincere apology, Tetsucchi limited his passes to Daicchi and Seicchi and when the opportunity appeared, Seicchi passed to Shinicchi, so their Shooting Guard would score as well._

_Now the match was done. They won, like always. 203 — 31_

_Yoneya didn’t even stand a chance. The match had been a massacre. (Just thinking about it made Kise feel bad. But... winning meant, that after big matches like this one, Teikō would at least allow them some rest and they would go an entire week without being probed at. **That** was winning, not the one on the court.) _

_He stood up, just as Seicchi looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Where to, Ryōta?“_

_“Just the toilet. Be back soon.“ he said, as he walked out and closed the door, turning to the right._

_Lost in thought — thinking about escaping needles and pills for a week!— he bumped into someone. He took a step back and flashed a charming stage smile. “Ah~ gomen, gom—” his apologies were cut off, as he noticed the guy standing opposite him._

_A tall muscular kid, closer to Daicchi’s build, than his own, with silver-blonde hair, swept to the left and eyes the shade of burning coals. He would have been somewhat intimidating, if not for the utterly broken look in his eyes. Kise recognised him from the black-and-red jersey he wore. Number 4._

_Yoneya’s Captain and Power Guard. (He couldn’t recall the guy’s name. Tetsucchi and Seicchi would scold him for this... and something about “respect“... but right now, Kise’s attention was fully on the present. On the player standing in front of him.)_

_“You...“ the other growled, fear and hate present in his gaze in equal measures. “You’re one of Teikō...“_

_Kise tilted his head to the side, watching the other with sorrow. “I am.“ he stated simply and he was surprised, that his voice sounded so strong and proud. There was nothing to be proud of..._

_Yoneya’s Captain gave him such a look, that Kise almost cried. This... this player in front of him was completely crushed. And **they** had crushed him. It was for survival. _

_“Ah, look at you brat...“ the other spat, “So freaking proud of your school and your position, aren’t you? People already call you lot prodigies.“_

_Kise opened his mouth to speak, “We...“_

_But the older cut him off, his tone nothing but a hiss, so similar to a snake’s and cold as ice. “There’s nothing miraculous about you five.”_

_**“Six.“** _ _he countered sharply— tone more poisonous, than he originally intended,— eyes narrowing. Tetsucchi was a Phantom, yes... but it always grated on his nerves, when people excluded him. The six of them were Teikō’s First String, the best of the place — no, he won’t call Teikō a school, for it wasn’t one._

_“Why do they call you prodigies... I’ll never understand. Why do you even play?“_

_Kise twitched. He — they— played because they loved basketball. Basketball was their life, it had brought them together. If they tried to quit, it meant that Teikō won and succeeded in taking away the one thing that they still genuinely loved with all their being, in this goddam world. If they tried to quit, they would lose each other and they would lose basketball. He loved basketball. His siblings loved basketball. It was their life._

_They played because they loved basketball. After all, it was their life. But entirely different words left his lips, as he stared into the hate-filled gaze of the older player. “We play to win. Winning is everything.“ he said evenly. Winning equalled survival._

_The other sneered at him. “You... you’re no human. You lot are monsters. Kiseki no Sedai... they call you... more like **Kaijū no Sedai**.“ _

He stood upright, staggering towards the door, mentally counting the distance between the school and his hotel room. Would he have enough energy left, to make it back or would he have to wait for someone to get the green light, too?

No. He couldn’t wait for his siblings... He wouldn’t be able to stay conscious. His limbs trembled with exhaustion. He dragged himself towards the end of the corridor, forcing himself to take step by step. That is until he heard the sound of struggling and steps.

“Come now you little shit!” a male voice sneered, “Better learn your place. It looks like you’d grown too much of a backbone away from here, little beast.”

Kise perked up at those sharp words coming from the end of the corridor and he caught sight of a man and a woman dragging Tetsucchi somewhere. Why would... His eyes went wide. No. _No!_ They will not hurt his brother!

Exhaustion suddenly overridden by desperation, Kise lunged forwards, hate burning in his eyes. “Let him _go_!” he snarled, as he grabbed the woman and tore her hands from his teal-haired brother. He kicked her and she cried out and the man immediately yanked Tetsucchi farther from him, literally throwing the Phantom against the wall.

Kise’s eyes narrowed. Snarling he pounced at the man, but he was expecting the attack and he grabbed the outstretched had roughly while backhanding him with the other. Kise’s head reeled, but before he could even properly process the pain, the man kicked him, knocking the breath out of him.

Kise gaped, trying to get a lungful of air, to no avail.

“Looks like #015 isn’t the only one, who needs a reminder.“ the man hissed. Kise struggled, but the man caught his other hand, forced it behind his back and kneed him from behind. His knees almost gave out, but the man kept him upright with raw strength. “Can you bring the other?“ he asked, looking at the woman.

Kise couldn’t make out her features, as his vision was full of painful, bright spots. “Hai, hai. He’s not that much of a trouble, as long, as he doesn’t have something sharp nearby.“ she answered.

Kise had no strength left, not really, but he didn’t stop struggling. But every time he got just a little close to getting away, the man would hit or kick him, leaving him breathless from pain. He noticed Tetsucchi struggling as well, as they reached a door. The woman had enough of his rebelliousness, as she yanked so hard on his shirt, that he fell against the wall with a groan. She then grabbed a card and opened the door with it and then both of them were shoved inside.

The woman shoved Tetsucchi on the bed and strapped him to it, my wrists and ankles, no matter how much he struggled. Kise could see, that he was exhausted too. Kise tried getting free, but the man held him strongly and tied him to the wall, with a perfect view of the bed.

Dread pooled in his stomach. He didn’t like this _at all._

When both of them were immobilised, the two set working, checking papers and data and then the man grabbed needles and a syringe and Kise swallowed hard. He stuck the needle into Tetsucchi and Kise shivered, as he saw the redness fill the container.

Then the man poured the blood into a small cup and checked the vial one last time.

“Is it the 50% concentrated version?“ the woman asked.

The man hummed. “No, it’s the new, mixed one we got. 70% E-E2 and 30% LP/S, so the first version of the LP, should make it possible to be completely adapted. If 006 is treated properly as well, we might just let these two on the same side of the court again. That might be more productive, as 006 is starting to be uncontrollable.”

Kise’s head was already spinning. Separating them... and now they want Tetsucchi and Daicchi to be on the same team? Why? And what the hell was that thing, the man was mixing into the blood he’s just taken from Tetsucchi?

Wait... blood... that was _blood_...

A whine left his lips, as he tried getting free again. No. Not needles and blood. Anything but blood...

The man grabbed the container and with a precise move, the blood — now mixed with the drugs— was back in the container again, the silver needle glinting in the light. Kise’s vision swam, breath coming in gasps.

“No...“ he choked, trying to get free. Tetsucchi tried struggling, but he couldn’t move an inch.

Kise’s stomach knotted in disgust and he turned to the side, as he threw up, while the man injected the bloody mixture into his brother. He could barely breathe and his limbs were trembling, black spots dancing in front of his eyes...

Somewhere in the distance, Tetsucchi growled, like a beast.

* * *

He was half-conscious by the time the two were done with Tetsucchi and he felt his bonds loosen. However, he had no strength to stand — his stomach was still in knots, sweat was covering every inch of his body and his limbs still felt like lead.

“Ouch, you little bastard!” the man growled and then there was the sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh, “You’re way too rebellious, for an animal. Maybe some time alone in the dark will teach you a lesson in obedience.“

The door opened and there were steps and for a long while, Kise heard nothing, but his erratic breathing and he could only sense the cool floor beneath. He wasn’t fine. He could barely breathe and his limbs felt heavy... but he was aware enough to know, that he had to get out of here.

He wanted to help Tetsucchi... but he didn’t know where his brother had been taken. Hell, at this point, he would be lucky, if he made it to the school’s gate. (Was this place even a school? No, probably not.)

Bile rose into his mouth, burning his throat and more than once, he had to stop, fearing he’d choke on something... He tried breathing, but no amount of air seemed to be enough to satisfy him and the syringe filled with _red_ kept flashing into his mind, sending dreadful shivers down his spine.

He didn’t even know how he staggered out of the building and towards the hotel. Just out of view of Teikō’s building the crumpled to the ground, powerless, dry-heaving and struggling to breath as his body trembled.

“...ta...“ something sounded in the distance.

“Ryōta!“ this time the call was louder, sharper, _“Ryōta, look at me.”_

The command was firm — one you do not disobey—, but gentle a the same time. He raised his eyes toward the voice and he noticed patches of colour until they slowly took shape. His siblings... but Seicchi was the closest.

“Ryōta. Focus.“ the grip was like iron, but not painful.

“You’re safe, Ryō-chin.“ another gentle voice drawled. “You’re away from there now. _Breath_.” huge hands reached out and Kise was dimly aware of his tallest (but baby) brother pulling him into a gentle hug. “Listen to my heartbeat and think of something relaxing.“

Atsu’s voice was still lazy... but in this case, it was oddly calming. He clung to the huge Yōsen student, as if he were a lifeline, as the other player drew calming circles on his back, periodically reminding him of the need to breathe.

Slowly, he calmed down, although the bitter, biting taste of bile didn’t leave his mouth. “T-Tetucchi...“ he choked, as Atsu helped him to his feet, “T-they took him. Said something about time alone in the dark.”

At those words, a long string of colourful curses left Daicchi’s mouth and Seicchi’s eyes burned with the flames of Hell and the redhead looked like he could kill an army on his own. Kise felt the same way... but his body felt heavy and his throat burned, so he doubted he’d be of any help...

“We’ll take the longer route to the hotel, that should help Ryōta gather himself a bit more before he has to face anyone. We’ll wait till morning. If Tetsuya’s not back... I don’t care about secrets and all that shit. We’re bringing him out...“

“Even if we have to kill...“ Daicchi growled sinisterly. Even with his senses dulled by fear and exhaustion, Kise sensed the bloodlust rolling off of his siblings, as they staggered towards the hotel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a bit clumsy.... but eeh, I tried rewriting this and this was still the best version, so I gave up...  
> As always, please share your opinion! Your comments keep me motivated to do my best! :3


	32. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴀᴛʜ — ᴍᴏᴍᴏɪ『ꜰʟᴀꜱʜʙᴀᴄᴋ』

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: Usuals go for Strong Language, Implied/referenced Violence... and I suppose the GoM´s Oath (and the "signing") of said Oath should get a "Don´t Try This At Home" warning...

**_20xx/03/21_ , _Friday_ ; Teikō** **Chūgakkō, Tokyo**

_It was coming to an end. Finally, they would be free from the Hell, that was Teikō Chūgakkō. Finally, they could escape this place — not truly... she doubted Teikō would let them go so easily, after all the trouble they’d gone through to probe at them and make the best out of them. The boys were way to “valuable“ for Teikō just to let go and they all knew it._

_Oh, not to say she was normal. She’d been probed at as well — memory and ocular enhancements, too. But her condition was less severe, than the boys’. Regardless, after these mentally and emotionally draining three years, she didn’t exactly feel human anymore. And the other schools and teams were so, **so** convinced, that her brothers were monsters... several players had said as much. If that was true, she was nothing less, than a monster herself. Because as the saying went, only a monster could love another monster... and these boys were her brothers. _

_And soon, they would be separated and she hated the thought of it._

_But Sei had called a secret meeting, so she banished those thoughts for now. Teikō thought they hated each other, that with every passing month, they played less and less like a team and more for themselves (save for Tetsu and Dai, because they still displayed passable teamwork, when on the court,)... so calling this meeting had to be something serious._

_She stopped at the back of the schoolyard, pressing her back against the cold wall. This was a tiny patch, that was in the blind spot of the many cameras scattered around the school grounds, so this was the only place they could meet and still act themselves._

_“Satsuki.“_

_“Tsuki.“_

_She glanced up and noticed both Sei and Tetsu, side by side, looking as calm and intimidating, as ever. She smiled a little. “Sei, Tetsu. Why are we here?“_

_Mentor and protégé shared a look and then the Captain spoke. “To make an oath. Our days here will come to an end soon and they chose to separate us... because no one here is naive enough to think it’s anything less. They want us apart — and mine and Shintarō’s father as well had helped. What do they gain from this, I don’t understand yet...“_

_“... but that doesn’t matter anyway.“ Tetsu said, his tone quiet but cold, “What matters, is that we shouldn’t let them win. Even if we’ll be miles apart... we’re still a family.“_

_She smiled a little. “You’re right, Tetsu.“_

_She perked up when she heard quiet footfalls hurrying their way opposite from where she’d arrived. Dai and Ryō had made it here, too. Nods and smiles were exchanged, as a silent greeting, but everything was dulled by heaviness and sadness. As much relief it was, that they would soon be free from Teikō... it also made their hearts heavy. They would be miles away from one another, in different cities, in different schools. (Oh, Tetsu, like Dai and her, would still be in Tokyo, which was a good thing... but still in a **different** school. Different school meant wearing a different jersey and no one liked the idea of that. But Tetsu and Dai, even less. They were like peas in a pod, as Sei liked to say and she had to agree.) _

_A little after Dai and Ryō, came Atsu and Shin, also side by side, their “baby“ brother crunching on some snacks, as always. Sei looked at the tall Center and gave him a serious look. “Would you please put away your snacks for a bit, Atsushi? This is serious.“_

_The Center’s lazy eyes immediately sharpened at the tone and he put the snacks done, earning himself a smile and an approving nod from Tetsu, which was even rarer these days, than it had been before._

_They walked closer, making a small circle, just the seven of them and as she walked closer, she noticed a particularly fancy cup — it looked old and precious. It was from that precious collection Tetsu’s grandmother had been so fond of. But why was it here? Oh... there was some liquid in it. But what for?_

_“Why have you called us?“ Dai asked curiously, “With graduation so close, they’re bound to keep their eyes even more open, than before.“_

_“Ah, the exact opposite, Daiki.“ Sei said, “They’re busy with the upcoming ceremony.“_

_“Besides, they still hadn’t given up looking for Shōgo.“ Tetsu hissed coldly, “He’s still a danger and they want him under the heel, no matter how short the time is. They want to make sure he won’t sing to anyone about Teikō.”_

_Shin snorted at that, readjusting his glasses. “Haizaki is a violent bastard — more animal, than man by now. But he’s not an idiot. He wants to stay alive too much... he wants to crush **us** too much, to let them catch him or give them more reason to pursue him. He won’t say anything about Teikō.“ _

_“Besides...“ Dai grunted darkly, “I’m sure that the pain and the drugs had... driven him at least half-mad. Not everyone’s made to withstand this thing and that’s been proven several times since this fuckery started.”_

_“You’re right about that.“ Sei sighed._

_Tetsu’s eyes darkened and Momoi shivered, just a little, suddenly getting reminded, that behind the calm, gentle demeanour lay one of the most dangerous creatures currently in Teikō’s building._

_“Still... why are we here Seicchi?“ Ryō asked, redirecting the topic for which she was grateful. Any more words about Haizaki or she might have cried... or one of the boys might have snapped._

_“We’re here because I want us to make an oath. I want us to stay together, even when we’re apart. Let this be our defiance against Teikō, no matter how small it may seem.“ Sei said, his words like razors._

_“All this time they worked to drive us apart.“ Tetsu added, “Our new schools may never understand, even if we may somewhat fit into the new teams. Even if we find friends outside... we’re **family**.“ _

_“And this oath you mentioned...“ Shin murmured, obviously catching up and she smiled, as it slowly made sense for her too, “... you want us to make this oath, to defy Teikō. To prove ourselves, that we can get away with this and that we are a family... that we can be one, even if we’re far away.”_

_Sei hummed, nodding firmly. “Yes, that was the idea. To cement our bonds. We’re a team. We’re siblings.”_

_Their gazes shifted to one another and everyone nodded. Momoi nodded too, a smile gracing her lips, despite the morose mood. “I like the idea.”_

_“And how do you want to do it, Sei-chin?“ Atsu asked, now his own interest peaked._

_Tetsu made a gesture at the cup filled with some drink. Was it water or something else? “A blood pact. A drop of our blood into the cup and we share the drink, to seal our words.”_

_Silence settled again. It wasn’t really spoken about, but few things were as serious, as a Blood Pact and all of them knew it. She noticed Ryō shiver uncomfortably. “B-blood?“_

_Sei glanced at him understandingly. “You don’t have to look while we do it, Ryōta. And it will be just a tiny cut, to get a drop of your blood. You can keep your eyes shut and stay with someone, while someone else does it for you. Considering the amount... of blood, we shouldn’t feel it. We just know it’s in there.”_

_Ryō took a shaky breath but nodded. “O-okay. Let’s do it.”_

_As Ryō looked away, Tetsu grabbed his knife and made a small wound on the upper side of his hand letting a single drop of his blood into the cup. Sei pulled out his scissors and did the same. Momoi shrugged and reached her hand towards the knife, while Shin got the scissors from Sei. She didn’t even wince at the small sting, as the blade pierced her skin. She watched the crimson gather on the wound before a drop of blood fell into the drink. Shin did the same offering the scissors to Atsu, while she offered the knife to Dai._

_Dai and Atsu both prickled their fingers, letting their blood fall into the cup, making tiny ripples on the liquid. Tetsu walked up to Dai, as he held the blonde._

_“May I, Ryō?“ the Phantom asked gently, “You don’t have to look. Just pay attention to Daiki. Okay?“_

_Ryō took a deep breath and glanced at the teal. “Do it, Tetsucchi.“ he said, voice strong despite his obvious discomfort._

_She smiled and grabbed the cup, carefully holding it near them, as Ryō buried his face in Dai’s shoulder, sticking out a hand towards Tetsu. Tetsu laughed softly. “I’m not going to cut off your hand, silly. It’s just a prickle.“ he gently put the blade to Ryō’s finger, while Dai rubbed the blonde’s back, muttering calming nonsense._

_A moment later, a drop of blood fell into the cup for a final time and then Tetsu grabbed tissues from his pocket to stop the bleeding on Ryō’s finger, before nodding and also giving the blonde a quick hug. “All done. Was it so bad?“_

_“Uh, no... I guess. If you’re here and I don’t have to look, it’s not that bad. It didn’t even hurt.“ Ryō admitted and she giggled, shaking her head, as she offered the cup back to Sei._

_“Thank you, Satsuki.“ he took it and she stepped back as they made a full circle once more, their faces serious. But she knew, her face was just as serious, as theirs._

_Sei glanced at each of them and they matched his mismatched gaze, equally serious._

_“No one must know about Teikō’s true nature and no one shall ever truly separate the seven of us, even if we play for different schools and if we play for different schools, then we shall always, ALWAYS play our best against one another, for none would ever withstand what we can do, but one, who is like us.“ he said, tone dead-serious._

_For a moment, they were quiet and then their voices, sounded as one. She never stood on the court, but the boys always considered her a “player“ as well, since she helped to devise the strategies on the court and it was due to her data collecting, that they could create such fool-proof plans. For them, she was as much a player, as anyone else, even if she only dribbled a ball on a street court. She was one of them and they made sure the school knew it._

_“No one will separate us, for starting today, we are not only teammates, but siblings by blood till our dying breath.“ he said, and then drank, offering the cup to Tetsu._

_Tetsu took it, echoing the same words, before offering it to Dai. Dai then offered it to Ryō, who offered it to Atsu. And then Atsu gave it to her. Her fingers closed around the cup and her gaze lingered on her brothers for a moment._

_“No one will separate us, for starting today, we are not only teammates but siblings by blood till our dying breath.“ she said, tone quiet but strong, as she took a sip. Whatever was inside tasted sweet and she truly couldn’t taste the blood, just as Sei had promised._

_She passed the cup to Shin, which now only had a drink inside for one person. Shin spoke the words with utter conviction, just like the rest of them. “No one will separate us, for starting today, we are not only teammates but siblings by blood till our dying breath.“ he drank and then the empty cup arrived back to Sei._

_The circle was complete and so was their Oath._

_From this day forth, till their last, they were siblings by blood. The knowledge was oddly calming and reassuring. No matter what colours her brothers wore on court, they would never be less, than a family. Even if the world wanted to tear them apart, they would always keep an eye out and help, if any of them needed it. ( **And damn the consequences...** even if that last bit went unsaid.) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, despite being short. Please leave comments and tell me what you think :3


	33. ᴅɪꜱᴄᴜꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ɪ — ᴋᴀꜱᴀᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜ

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

When he found the coaches and a few others in the otherwise deserted lobby, Kasamatsu Yukio knew, that something was up. Especially since a select few were present from each team.

Kiyoshi Teppei — not only a General but one of the most observant and emphatic of Seirin. And... the closest person to a certain Phantom. Well, the closest from the older members of the team and second closest in general, as the first spot, was not surprisingly, occupied by Kagami.

Then, from Shūtoku, it was Kazunari Takao, both the most observant and the one who was closest to the team’s oddball of a Miracle (but weren’t _all_ Miracles oddballs? Yes, _yes_ they were), their ace shooter.

From Tōō, it was Imayoshi, who while not close to Aomine — that had been made clear during the week, for the Miracle contradicted his new Captain far too many times... not to mention the brutal way Aomine was willing to play a few days ago, with _Imayoshi_ leading Rakuzan... So, while they weren’t close, Imayoshi was damn observant and shrewd. Kasamatsu didn’t know the other Miracles as well, as he knew Kise, but the others present did.

And of course, Rakuzan’s Vice-captain, Mibuchi Reo. Observant, as it would be expected of a General and strangely close to Akashi. That was even odd to _consider_ , given the redhead’s violent, commanding nature and the mood swings, that appeared in odd moments or when it wasn’t a mood swing... then the redhead was, in 95% of the day, radiating bloodlust and killing intent in inhuman amounts. He was surprised Rakuzan were still _alive_ , under such a... _tyrant_. (Seriously, the kid had a few screws loose. If the Miracles — Kise included, because he _wasn’t_ fine, either— had a screw loose, than Akashi and Kuroko had a _few dozen_ screws loose. Although the Phantom hid it very, _very_ well. So well, that it made the situation even _more_ disturbing if that was possible.)

Considering everything... maybe Kise seemed the _sanest_ of the Miracles (or perhaps Midorima, if one ignored the fact, that he carried around random objects each day), and that painted a very, _very_ disturbing picture of Teikō’s all-star team. (But maybe all the fame had gone into their head and Teikō’s training regimen wasn’t exactly student-friendly... and the Miracles were subjected to even harder/more exercise, as they were the “natives”, as Aomine had put it.)

But Kise’s constant (fake) smiles, his childish, bouncy behaviour wasn’t okay either. Or his wandering attention all the time, when they weren’t on the court, practising. Or his perfectionism. Because damn it, Kasamatsu wasn’t _blind_. The blonde was a _fucking perfectionist_ , in everything but his classes — because his grades were horrible. Kasamatsu was sure, the only reason he hadn’t been kicked out yet, because it added to Kaijō’s fame, that one of the _Kiseki_ attended the school.

And... from what he’d observed in here when they were resting (as scarcely they saw the _Kiseki_ ), the other Miracles were perfectionists too. Well, at least Kuroko, Akashi and Midorima _were_. Murasakibara and Aomine didn’t give a rat’s ass about anything, but Momoi had enough energy and perfectionism in her, to make up for her lazy ex/current schoolmate(s).

And the amount of tension and bloodlust they radiated ever since their arrival — not only Akashi but all of them, although the redhead certainly radiated the _most_ of them all,— wasn’t natural either. Or at least, it couldn’t be natural, because it wasn’t natural for Kise either. (And the way they all reacted when Momoi’s condition had been questioned that one morning. Violent... and _not okay_ for kids their age and most _unnatural_ , considering they had been glaring at one another just moments before the Tōō students had made it to the table.)

So yes, the former Teikō students were _**not** _okay. He wondered how they hadn’t landed in a mental institute yet. Or if not all of them, then at least Akashi and Kuroko. Carrying and _throwing around sharp objects wasn’t okay,_ especially not for sixteen-year-olds. Or maybe Aomine — the Power Forward had anger issues or something similar.

“So everyone’s finally here.“ Imayoshi said, his tone and expression oddly serious. Something glinted in his eyes, that set Kasamatsu on edge.

“What’s this about, Imayoshi?“ he asked, eyes narrowing. Kise’s odd behaviour and the continuous tension between the Kiseki was enough to slowly fray his nerves. He had no patience for the Third Year’s game of words.

“Oh, ho, no need to be hostile.“ Tōō’s Captain called, “We just want to know about your Miracle and since you’re in a room with him...“ he shrugged, “Well...”

“What about Kise?“ he asked, arching an eyebrow. Judging from the looks he had a clue what was this about, but he wanted to hear it.

“Haven’t you noticed something odd about him?“ Yōsen’s coach asked, looking his way, “The way they act is not alright. A few nights back, Aomine had the audacity to threaten me and Aida-san, after Momoi-chan woke up screaming.”

“Atsushi’s been acting tense, too, which is odd, since he’s usually lazy and doesn’t care for many things. And... during the match they played... they were _off._ I’ve never seen Atsushi play like that before.“ Himuro clarified.

“Shin-chan’s been looking murderous since we arrived here.“ Kazunari added, “And he seemed detached and cold during the match. I... I’ve never seen his eyes like _that_ before... that night when he made it back to our room...“ the power Guard shook his head, “It’s one thing to be odd and tense since Teikō came up... but, during the match he seemed... _not_ himself. Like.... like a _beast_ or something.”

Kiyoshi frowned. “Ah, Kuroko’s been even more repressed than usual... but that murderousness is most abnormal. I’ve never seen him carry around sharp objects.“

“In fact,“ Aida cut in, her eyes dark, “he seemed the kind to abhor any sort of violence. Yet, he threw a knife... and then threatened Midorima and Aomine with it that day.“

Mibuchi leaned back in his seat. “Ah, Sei-chan’s always tough. And snaps his scissors around a lot...“

“Had he harmed you?“ Rakuzan’s coach suddenly asked, eyes narrowing on his player.

“Nah, no, kantoku. He’s too nagging for that. He just snaps it around... and throws it. But it never got even close to harming us. I... can see he _cares_. But at the same time, sometimes, it’s like I’m facing a completely different person, who wouldn’t hesitate to make those threats of his, the ones that involve a _lot_ of blood, come true. They may have split up... but I can kind of understand why the other Miracles still just keep quiet and go along with what he says.“

Imayoshi snorted at that. “Seriously? The kid made Kagami keel over and Kagami’s idiot and brash... but gives off the aura of a tiger. And I’ve seen how he made _you_ and the other two kneel the same way, Mibuchi. Sunday night.”

Kasamatsu frowned, as Mibuchi shivered. “Ah yes. I still don’t know how Sei-chan does that, but damn it... it’s still better than if he has his scissors in hand. Damn my pride. You just know when not to push something.”

Kasamatsu frowned, as he leaned against the wall. “Kise mentioned something like that...“ he murmured, drawing the others’ attention to him, “Ah... to quote him, _‘You don’t defy Akashicchi. Or Kurokocchi... because what Kurokocchi says is what Akashicchi would say.‘_ Or some such.”

“Oh, and did you know they were chatting? The Miracles and Momoi-chan.“ Imayoshi suddenly added, “Like chatting 24/7.”

“Chatting?“ Tōō’s coach asked, “Aomine doesn’t seem the type and they seemed murderous enough around one another not even want to speak when in the same room, much less _chat_.”

“Ah, but I’ve seen Aomine’s phone, Harasawa-kantoku.”

“What was about it? And when? Stealing other’s phones...“ asked Himuro.

“I haven’t _stolen_ anything.“ Imayoshi dismissed. “Aomine threw it on his bed when he rushed to the girls’ room and he left it unlocked. After Aomine and Kuroko dealt with Momoi-chan, I noticed his phone. The seven of them have a little chat room and by what I’ve seen, they chat day and night, all week. Like during a free period or when they can’t sleep, because damn it, all of them are _freaking insomniacs_.“ Imayoshi ran a hand through his hair an odd, open show of his nerves.

Kasamatsu was glad. It seemed this camp wasn’t just frying his nerves, but everyone else’s. At least, form the teams. Their coaches seemed calm, but with every passing word, the adults seemed more and more on edge as well.

“Akashi sounded like a mother hen, even through messages.“ Imayoshi continued, “Everyone kept pestering Kise if he took his medicines...”

“Medicines?“ Kasamatsu spoke, along with his coach. He shared a look with the man.

“Kise doesn’t take medicines.“ Takeuchi-kantoku said, shaking his head.

“He does, apparently.“ Imayoshi deadpanned.

Kasamatsu frowned. “Now that you say it... just a while after the school year started, we had a practice match against Seirin. Kuroko got knocked out, but still managed to get back and... I’m not naive. It was _his_ participation, that gave Seirin the win. Kise confessed, that while he’s used to the workings of Misdirection, he’s among the ones, who have a harder time spotting Kuroko, even knowing what he can do.“ he huffed, “After the loss, Kise seemed out of it, so I went looking for him. I found Kuroko comforting him. And they were speaking about the other Miracles. Hell, Kuroko called Kise his _brother_.“ he ran a hand through his hair, “In fact, Kuroko openly called Kise by his given name, while hugging him and Kise called him “Tetsucchi“. And Kuroko referred to Akashi as “captain“ and then also called him by his given name and Kise followed up by calling him “Seicchi“. And Kuroko scolded Kise for not taking some medications he needs constantly, otherwise it affects his daily routines. And Kuroko made it clear, that the “hostility“ we’d seen during the practice between him and Kise, was nothing but an _act_. And then Kuroko said they couldn’t be found together, because they would get into trouble.“

A deathly silence fell on the room.

“How do you know that, Kasamatsu?“

Kasamatsu shrugged. “Simple, kantoku. After we lost, Kise disappeared and as being rude by not saying goodbye to Seirin, so I went looking for him. You left, when your phone rang, so seeing Seirin our was left to me. At that point, Seirin hadn’t noticed Kuroko missing and after they headed off, I went looking for Kise. Found him and Kuroko in the bathroom nearest to the gym, clinging to one another, Kise looking like shit and speaking about their former teammates. Kuroko called Aomine _Dai_ and the manager _Tsuki_. And...“ he frowned, shaking his head.

“What else?“ Yōsen’s coach asked.

Kasamatsu sighed. “I’m starting to think the Miracles have a screw loose or something. Kuroko called Akashi “Emperor“ during that conversation.“

Imayoshi hummed. “Interesting, because on Monday, Aomine did the same. Called Akashi “Emperor“ and... what was his word choice?“ his eyebrows knitted together in thought, “ Ah yes... _‘You don’t defy Akashi. Anyone and everyone, who defies the Emperor, dies. I love living... I hadn’t survived this long... just to die by the Emperor’s hands.‘_ Those were his exact words. And he sounded damn serious, too. When I told him he should be concerned about what I say, since he was now a player of Tōō... he looked at me as if I’ve gone utterly and completely mad.”

“And considering Akashi’s fondness of scissors...“ Kazunari murmured, “I can understand _why_ Aomine would say he didn’t want to die.”

“What _the Hell_ Shirogane?“ growled Tōō’s coach and Kasamatsu was once more reminded of their presence, “That kid should be in a mental institute! How in the name of kami did he even pass the entrance evaluations of Rakuzan with such an attitude?”

Rakuzan’s coach rubbed his face. “I’ve noticed Akashi wasn’t one to bend for rules, but that might just come from his upbringing. His father is one of the most powerful men in Japan, without being in politics, so he surely raised his son to meet high standards and not to bend for anyone. But this sounds more serious than I thought it could be.”

“Serious indeed,“ Kiyoshi spoke up, “if his former teammates act like this, not daring to say no, even after about a year of being apart.”

Kasamatsu grunted, “But they are also fond of each other, if the messages and what I’ve seen, is any clue. _Why_ are they acting then? Acting like they hate each other? To me, they sound more like... I don’t know, _siblings_.”

“Ah, they call each other that too. Or at least, in the chat. And Aomine called Momoi-chan that, several times, since they joined the team.“ Imayoshi said, “Nī-san, Nē-san, Otōto, Imōto.... the words are thrown around as easily as if they were truly related by blood.”

The more they spoke about it, the more Kasamatsu’s head _hurt_. _Damn it._

The Miracles — and Momoi Satsuki— were all a Mount Fuji-sized pain in the ass, with equal amounts of confusing mystery to their bonds.

Kazunari looked at the clock on the wall. “They’re late. Shin-chan said they would be back by seven. It’s already _nine_ and they’re nowhere to be found.”

Kasamatsu looked at the clock and frowned. The Shūtoku student was right. Yōsen’s coach opened her mouth to say something, but their attention was drawn to some sort of commotion outside. They all shared a glance and then they sprang from where they stood or sat.

They found the Miracles by the hotel gate, all of them looking like shit (no, not all of them, because Seirin’s Phantom was missing). Kise was pale and trembling, heaving and it seemed only Murasakibara was keeping him upright. All of them were dishevelled, huddled together as much as possible while walking and Aomine and Akashi looked like they could kill right this moment. The glinting of the scissors in Akashi’s hand wasn’t exactly a calming sight either, especially considering the near-mad glint in his bi-coloured eyes.

“W-what the Hell?!“ Mibuchi choked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! (cackles) Am I evil?  
> As always, please leave comments and share your thoughts. Comments are like energy! :3


	34. ʀᴀɢᴇ — ᴀᴋᴀꜱʜɪ

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

From the ~~school~~ laboratory to the hotel, Akashi felt like snapping a few necks.

 _**How dare they! how DARE they?! Endangering those under our protection!** _ his inner self snarled.

For once, Akashi didn’t feel like quieting down his other self, the scissors snipping sharply, as he thought not only about Ryōta’s current condition but about Tetsuya as well. Tetsuya, who had been drugged, taken and locked up somewhere in the dark.

By the time they reached the hotel — sadly louder on the way, than he intended— he was feeling drained to the bone, but rage and worry kept him awake. He will not sleep a whiff tonight, of that he was sure.

Suddenly, Shintarō halted, a soft choking sound leaving his lips and Akashi forced himself to focus on the present. All six teams coaches were out there, staring at them, along with several teammates. he noticed two of the Generals, Shōichi, Yukio as well as Shintarō and Atsushi’s partners.

“W-What the Hell?” Reo choked, looking at them with wide, shocked eyes. “S-Sei-chan?“

Akashi growled, eyes narrowing and his Vice-cap took a step back in fear. “Call me _that_ again and you’ll dearly regret it, _Reo_.“

“Kise?“ Kaijō’s Captain called, as the group eyed them.

“Akashi... what’s going on here?“ his coach asked.

Akashi growled, eyes flashing. “I’m sure you have a few clues by now if all of you are here.“

Ryōta choked and his eyes snapped over to the blonde. “Damn it. Atsushi, get him inside! Shintarō, his medicine is in my bag. Take care not to wake Kotarō. Daiki, please wake Satsuki. _Now_.”

His siblings all gave him a look and then nodded. “Hai.” they hurried past, dodging their sempai and coaches, but Daiki faltered in the door, looking at him.

“Sei?“

Akashi sighed, too stressed to even care, that they were breaking character. Fuck secrecy. “Yes, Daiki?“

“What about Tetsu?“ he asked, tone small, broken, yet still laced with rage and bloodlust.

“I told you Daiki.“ he said, but his tone wasn’t as hard, as usual. He couldn’t bring himself to order his siblings now, the way he usually did. Not even the worse side of him could do it because every inch of him screamed _protect_. “I hate doing this... but knowing Tetsuya, at least one of the bastards is dead by now. Serves them right. Now wake Satsuki, please. If we don’t want Ryōta to end up with a full-blown panic attack, she’ll be needed as well. Atsushi looked like he’ll snap any moment and I can’t handle two of you at once and _damn it,_ curb your bloodlust. I’ll gladly hand you my scissors to kill the bastards and damn the consequences when sempai makes it here... but right _now_ , we have some more important things to take care of.”

The Power Forward grunted, looking away. “Gomen, Sei.“ and then he slipped inside.

Even after all this time, none of them could bring themselves to look him in the eyes, when he was in a mood, even though they knew he would _never_ harm them. The only one, who ever said _**no** _to him — and got away with it,— was Tetsuya. ( _Gods_ , what he wouldn’t give for the Phantom to be here right now and tell him off about being unreasonably bloodthirsty...)

“Sei-ch—?“

Akashi growled, levelling the other with a glare, as he took a step closer. “ _Not here_ , Reo and for the kami’s sake, call me _that_ again and I’ll pin you to the wall with a set of butter knives and I’ll let Shintarō and Daiki use you for target practice!”

Reo shook and staggered back. His inner self hissed at the General poisonously, even if no one could hear it. _**There, like that. Fear us. Fear makes it easier for us to protect our siblings...** _

He strode past the shaken group and into the building. A moment later, the group followed him. Ryōta was already curled on the couch, still clinging to Atsushi, who was muttering calming nonsense to him, but it was only half-successful.

Akashi’s hands twitched violently, as he saw the blonde’s condition. It made him want to _kill_ a few alumni members even more, than before. Shintarō came back with a small box in hand and hurried over to the two, as Akashi leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths and playing with his scissors, trying to calm down. (It wasn’t working too well, but he needed to keep a clear head, for his siblings’ sake.)

A moment later Daiki and Satsuki appeared, the girl’s eyes scanning the room. Her eyes went wide when she noticed their coaches... but still, her eyes landed on him, worried and _pleading_. Akashi hated that look. “S-sei? What... where is Tetsu?“

Akashi swallowed, but before he could Ryōta spoke. “T-They took him, Tsuki. I-I tried but _they_...“ he choked again and Satsuki’s eyes went wide.

 _“Ryō!“_ she hurried over, hugging him from the other side while clasping hands with Atsushi. “It’s okay, we’ll be okay...“ she murmured. Her words said one thing, but the tone suggested something else.

Shintarō fiddled with the pills and then, out of nowhere, as if imitating Tetsuya, Daiki appeared with a glass of water. Ryōta took the pill and washed it down with a grimace. Akashi’s eyes narrowed. “Ryōta... did they give you something now?“

The blonde shook his head. “Iie. I just went through the usual drills...“ he winced, “Note to self, I _never_ want to try copying any of you. I broke my ankle trying to do your tricks, Seicchi.”

Akashi frowned. “It’s not broken, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it out. But you’re certainly in no condition to do anything. Daiki, how’s your back?“

The Power Forward grunted. “The bastard did it deliberately this time, too. It’s bad enough that it’s not healing properly, but... damn it, it bled through again.”

Akashi cursed colourfully, as he pushed himself away from the wall. “Sit down.”

Daiki did as he asked and Akashi cut the fabric from his back. “What’s going on here?!” Shintarō’s partner asked, panic in his voice.

Akashi levelled the Power Guard with a look and he shrunk. “Teikō’s not the sparkly place you’ve seen during the week.“

“Sei...“ Shintarō sighed, “Please. It’s not Takao who’s at fault. Don’t kill him. I’d be without a partner then and that’s a bit depressing to think about.“

He snorted. “At least Tetsuya would have a valid reason to transfer.“ he said.

“Hey,“ Daiki grunted, “Tetsu’s _**my**_ Shadow, not Shin’s. If Tetsu’s transferring _anywhere_ , once we’re out of this hellhole, _it’s_ _Tōō_.“

He finally managed to get rid of the fabric and tossed it to the ground. “What the Hell?!” Himuro Tatsuya hissed, as he noticed the long, open gashes on Daiki’s back.

“So it _was_ blood what I’ve seen.“ Shōichi murmured, eyes narrowed. Akashi gave the Tōō Captain a smouldering look and grabbed a clean cloth from the small first aid bag their sister brought and started to gently clean the other’s back.

“What is—?”

“ _Teikō_ , what else?“ Shintarō growled at Tōō’s coach, before turning his attention back to Ryōta again.

For a very, _very_ long while, there was horrified silence in the room.

“That day, when we were paired with Shūtoku and Tōō...“ Kiyoshi Teppei suddenly spoke up, “A few of Teikō’s students came around. Kuroko spoke with your coach and they stayed with us after that. But he lingered, so I went looking for him after we were done. The students from earlier were with him. Second Years, I believe?“

“Second and Third years.“ Shintarō answered, “Members of the Second String. Tetsuya was the Second String’s Captain and unofficially the Vice-cap of the whole Clu—”

 _“Shintarō!”_ Akashi warned sharply. The Shooting Guard looked at him for a moment before falling silent and padding for the bag Satsuki had brought, to grab a cream from it. No doubt his wrist or maybe his elbow was troubling him again.

Silence fell and the tension grew. Akashi got some pads to place on the long cuts. Daiki growled in discomfort but didn’t move.

“If you do not say what’s going on, we cannot help.“ Kaijō’s coach pointed out.

Akashi snarled at the man. “The last we trusted grown-ups, we were tossed into the clutches of Teikō.“

Several eyes went wide. It was after a long moment, that his coach spoke.

“So... what Kōzō told me about Teikō’s abuse of its Club members is correct.“ Several people hissed at those words.

Akashi’s eyes narrowed on the man. “So... you knew?“

The man shook his head. “Kōzō told me that Teikō wasn’t... as perfect, as they appeared. Told me they were handling you, especially the Basketball Club, roughly. But he also said that several people with great influence and money who were investing, so he needed to be careful. Only told me this, after I mentioned your name when you signed up for the Club. Told me that you and the rest of the Kiseki were the ones they handled the worst and since he had left, it had probably gotten worse, that he wasn’t even getting updated from... someone called Nijimura. And then I told him, for all Japan knows, you were the Captain of the _Kiseki_.”

Silence again.

“Who’s this... Nijimura?“ asked Kaijō’s Captain.

Akashi sighed, feeling tired. “He led us in the First Year. But when he had to leave, he handed me the Captaincy, saying I was the best choice, with Tetsuya right there with me.“

“Funny thing is...“ Daiki snorted softly, “That sempai never even knew, that in the end, Tetsu would be the only one, who could handle you in a mood.”

Akashi growled. “Excuse me, Daiki?“

The Power Forward hurriedly shifted away, now that his wounds were covered, wariness flashing in his eyes. “ _That!_ Damn it, don’t go switching personalities like that. _Look_ , I don’t want to die. I get it you want the blood of the fuckers, I do too. Tetsu’s as much _my_ brother, as _yours_. But going all bloody on _us_ , won’t help and rushing back in now, won’t either, you were right.”

He stood up and Daiki took a step back. “Repeat that, _Daiki~?_ “

“N-nothing...!”

He took a step closer and the other took a step back and a moment later, as he touched his shoulder, inching even closer, Daiki was on the floor, looking up at him in wariness. He leaned closer. “You don’t go ordering _me_ around, Aomine Daiki. I’m _absolute_. Words like that again and you’re the one I’m pinning to the wall, instead of Reo. Are we clear?“

The Power Forward swallowed hard. “C-clear as crystal.”

He eyed the other for a moment before striding towards his room. “Get ready to wake at five. If Tetsuya’s not here by quarter past five, we’re bringing him out and _I don’t care_ , how many we have to kill in the process.”

He was aware of the eyes on him, but he didn’t care. They couldn’t do anything against him. He was _absolute_... and it was time Teikō remembered that as well.


	35. ᴅɪꜱᴄᴜꜱꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ɪɪ — ᴀᴏᴍɪɴᴇ

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

_“Way to go, Ahomine.“_ his siblings murmured darkly, as Sei strode away.

Aomine groaned, burying his face in his hands.

Shin’s green eyes were as sharp, as a blade. “ _Congratulations_. We have the bloody Emperor right back and Tetsu’s not here to placate him. We’re as good, as dead. Or if not us, then he’s certainly going to _slaughter_ everyone else.”

Aomine groaned again, taking a shaky breath. “Damn it. _Damn it._ I... this _wasn’t supposed to go this way._ Damn it. We hadn’t seen that side of him since graduation...“

“Somone care to enlighten us what just happened?“ Imayoshi asked, “He did that trick of his he uses on the court...“

Aomine gulped and they all shared a look. In the end, Shin nodded. “He’s in a murderous mood anyway. He knows they’re going to find out and there’s no way back now. He... you know why he left.“

They threw a few glances around and then Aomine shifted, to sit properly on the ground. “Violence was our smallest problem we had to deal with, during Teikō.“ he paused, looking at each person present, “The damn place is in fact, a lab. And the Basketball Club were the lab rats.”

Several eyes went wide.

“Are you... do you mean... _human experimentation?_ “ Yōsen’s coach asked horrified. Everyone else seemed to be just as pale and sickly, as she was.

“Yes.“ Ryō answered, still not letting go of Atsu.

Everyone choked. “And _we_ were their prize subjects. The seven of us.“ Tsuki added.

Imayoshi looked like he might faint. “M-Momoi-c-chan... even...”

“Even her.“ Aomine said gruffly, “We tried shielding her,” he said softly, “but it only went so far. The first year wasn’t so bad. The second was much worse, but everything turned into Hell after one of the First String members escaped. He was supposed to have similar abilities to Ryō...“ he gestured at the blonde, “but he just couldn’t handle the drugs. He was uncontrollable. By the time he escaped, the guy was half-mad. Teikō.... they tried a lot of things...“

“Is that why those juniors, who came, bowed to Kuroko so low?“ Kiyoshi asked. “I’ve seen those juniors with Kuroko. They were kind of treating him like the Emperor or someone like that. And Kuroko... said that Teikō couldn’t be escaped.”

Aomine swallowed. “Kind of. We were the First String. The best, the strongest. It was our responsibility to protect them. They feared us for our skills, but they admired us too.”

“Tetsucchi said, they kinda looked at us, like predators.“ Ryō said, “The ones you admire because of the strength, but fear because that strength is enough to kill you. The more treatments we bore, the better we were, the less they harmed the Second and the Third String.“

“So we did it.“ Shin added, “We trained and kept silent. There was no way to escape and many had died too.“ he fell quiet for a moment, “We still don’t understand, how Teikō got away with it. Those deaths. The deaths of students. The deaths of the teach— scientists. The alumni.”

“The alumni?“ Harasawa-kantoku asked. “If they do this... why would they kill ones, who work for them?”

Aomine chuckled. “Not them, _us_ .“ he snarled. That drew the attention of everyone present, “Do you think we bowed down to them? That we allowed them to treat us like animals? To _break_ us?“ he gestured at his brothers, “We’d all killed at one point, to survive. It was Teikō’s only rule. Kill or be killed. Win and kill or lose and be killed. We won.“

“Winning was the only way to survive.“ Atsu spoke up for the first time, since they entered, “As long as we could keep up with the training... as long, as we won our matches, we were useful. Being useful meant you were left to live.”

“ _Hyakusenhyakushō. Hyaku notatakai, hyaku no shōri._ Those words... those words are Teikō’s motto.“ Aomine spoke.

“And they made sure we never forgot.“ Shin said.

“If we tried resisting...“ Aomine swallowed again, “Pain followed.”

“After a while, they realised, we didn’t care for our pain anymore.“ Sei’s voice spoke up suddenly. Aomine shifted to see the redhead approaching and as he walked closer, Aomine tensed.

Sei looked at him sorrowfully and sighed, offering a hand. “Gomen’nasai, Anija. I lost my head.“

Aomine sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that. All you and Tetsu did all these years, was to protect us.“ he grabbed the offered hand and stood up, only to stagger and the redhead guided him to sit.

Sei sat next to him, their shoulder’s touching. The contact was strangely comforting. He found himself uncaring of the many eyes on them and snuggled closer. Sei didn’t resist.

“When they realised we didn’t care what happened to us...“ Sei started again, “They started harming others, to get our cooperation. They harmed Satsuki and Tetsuya, to get Daiki to do, what they wanted. They threatened Atsushi or Tetsuya, to get Ryōta to behave. They threatened Ryōta or me, to get Shintarō to cooperate.“

Aomine shivered at the memories. Everyone looked sick.

“A-and what did the do to get you or Kuroko to...?“ Kiyoshi asked, but trailed off.

Sei sighed. “They soon realised, that Tetsuya was the only one, who could handle me, even in my worst moments. S-sometimes... it doesn’t take much to force my worse self back into those dark parts of my mind. But sometimes...“ he looked down. “Sometimes it took days and when that side of me... we all killed at one point, but there was nothing good in it. It still gives me nightmares. B-but that worse side of me started enjoying the violence and... that was scary. Still is, but I can’t help it.“

“We were aware of the DID for a while now... it started in our second year.“ Ryō murmured, “We learned to handle both sides of him...“

Sei snorted derisively, “You mean bowing out whenever _he_ ’s around, ne, brother?“

The blonde shrugged. “Nah, the Emperor side of you isn’t too bad either, Seicchi. We just... learned to keep quiet and let your — his?— anger get redirected at the alumni. That was fine. Besides, Tetsucchi can handle him still, can’t he? Otherwise, a few people would be dead — it’s Thursday already and no one died yet. Well, no one, who‘s _innocent_.”

Aomine snorted, hilarity rising in him, despite the morose mood, as he looked at the redhead. “He’s right. By the way, it’s you- _you_ , the mother hen you, right? Not the Emperor-you.”

Sei rolled his eyes and poked him in the ribs. _Hard_. “Yes, Dai, it’s _me_. And call me a mother hen again, I’m going to cut your monthly magazines and you can go to Tetsu begging for them, but he’s just going to slam the door in your face and say he denies being a brother to a pervert, like you.”

Aomine yelped and rubbed the spot. “Damn you, Sei.”

“You’re different, Sei-chan...“ Rakuzan’s Vice-cap said.

Sei sighed. “Sometimes it’s hard separating those two sides of me... and the more time passes... the more the two are getting closer. But if that happens, I’d just end up with a third personality. I mean... no more switching so obviously... but it would be something in-between the two. The thing is, ever since Teikō was first mentioned, it got hard to hold my other-self.

Mibuchi grunted. “Well, at least that explains why I felt like dying the next practice. I mean, you’re always hard on us... but, after the morning when kantoku mentioned the camp... you went...“ he paused.

“Overboard?“ Sei offered softly, “Maybe so. I apologise.“ he said, tone soft and sincere, holding his teammate’s gaze. Mibuchi seemed taken aback by those words. Huh, so Rakuzan saw more of the Emperor, than the real Sei?

“A-ah, it’s fine Se— Akashi.“ Mibuchi stammered, “It’s fine. The more... you guys say, the easier it’s to understand _why_...“

“Why didn’t you say anything before?“ Shin’s partner asked, breaking the odd air. Aomine glanced at the black-haired player. He really ought to learn his name, if only because the guy was important to Shin.

“Because we didn’t want you dragged into this mess, Takao.“ Shin said sorrowfully. Ah, so that was his name! “Teikō keeps an eye on powerful players. They already have their eyes on...”

“Several people currently present.“ Sei finished darkly, “Kagami. Imayoshi. All four Generals. Kasamatsu and even you, Kazunari-san. Hell, they even have their eyes on my Sixth Man, only because he has similar abilities to Tetsu, naturally and that, in the alumni’s eyes is good enough to take a shot. To try probing at you, as they did to us.”

“So we won.“ Atsu spoke up, “They wanted us to play Rakuzan, to remind everyone why we were the best. But they wanted to see Rakuzan’s strength too, compared to us. To see who would be worth being prickled and probed at.“

“We won.“ Ryō spoke, “We tried holding back at first... only because Rakuzan’s important to Seicchi and he didn’t want them crushed.“

“I didn’t even bother with a strategy.“ Sei admitted, “Not in the first quarter. We just played loosely, without teamwork. Sanada noticed and threatened you.“

“ _All_ of you.” Aomine said with shaking words, “All our teams, every single one of you. We couldn’t let you get hurt. We couldn’t let more people fall to Teikō’s clutches. Not players, nor coaches — there were a few coaches, who’d tried opposing Teikō. Adults, who’d sense and who cared. Teikō ruined them all and they either disappeared or died mysteriously.”

“So we crushed you on the court as they wanted.“ Shin whispered, “We crushed you even _harder_ than they wanted. The weaker you seemed, the safer you were.“

“Gods be good.“ Harasawa-kantoku choked. “You... you all...“

“We did, what we had to.“ Sei said, tone hard. “ _Kaijū no Sedai_ , you said...“ his eyes landed on each player present, who all flinched away at that, “Maybe we are, indeed. If you hear it many times, for long enough, you start believing it. Maybe we’re monsters, but as long, as Teikō cannot reach anyone currently in this damn hotel, that is one of us, it’s fine.”

“And your ex-kōhai?“ Kiyoshi asked.

“The whole Club was like that, not just us.“ Akashi said, “They acted the way they did with Tetsu... because they escaped being probed at. Knowing him, he defied whoever went after the poor souls and... Teikō doesn’t tolerate defiance. It’s why... he’s not here.“ he looked away.

Aomine grunted, placing a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault Tetsu’s with them now.“

“I’m the Captain, Dai. He was never supposed to take over...“

“Not supposed to?“ Shin asked, readjusting his glasses, “Then we should have ignored him in the First Year. You shouldn’t have taught him Misdirection.”

“I know, _Shintarō!_ ” the redhead snapped sharply, eyes narrowing and Aomine drew farther away, watching warily. Was he back?

“S-Sei?“ he tried softly.

The redhead took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”

Shin looked away. “I shouldn’t have said that. Besides, Tetsu’s parents financed all this mess, before they died. He would have gotten dragged into this, even without you or me and we all know it.”

“F-financed?“ Seirin’s coach stammered.

Sei sighed. “The Kuroko couple were rather influential, before their death at the end of our first year. They financed Teikō’s experiments and gave away Tetsu. My father and Shin’s do the same. Finance, research help, everything you can think of. They tossed us away.“

“I found the documents in my father’s study a few months ago.“ Shin whispered, “We always suspected something... but, that was all the proof. When I confronted him... he threatened to kill my mother and sister, if I ever said even a syllable.“

“My mother died when I was young.“ Sei whispered, “So only my father and my aunt remain. But my aunt despises me and all my father ever cared about, was money.“

“My parents left, so I only have my sisters.“ Ryō added, “I never dared to tell them, in fear of what Teikō might do to them. They... they reach everywhere.“

“My parents are dead, so I only have my sister and brothers, like Ryō-chin.“ Atsu said quietly. “They worry for me enough and we had problems when I was younger. I didn’t want to tell them. They noticed not long after the treatments started, so they tried pulling me out. Teikō convinced them somehow not to do it and I learned to keep quiet.”

“My parents are also dead, so I live with my aunt and my uncle.“ Tsuki whispered, “They did so much already...”

Aomine grunted. “My mother left when I was a baby and I don’t know anything about her. My father was a damn alcoholic, who gave me to Teikō for money to drink himself to death. Tsuki’s aunt and uncle adopted me and Teikō only allowed it, so as not to draw attention. Tetsu’s parents are dead, so he only has —had his grandmother. She died a while ago, so Tetsu’s alone. Completely. The good thing is, that he has the money from his parents and he learned to save it and from what he said, he does odd jobs in the weekends, so he doesn’t have to spend from the saved money all the time.“

“Oba-san tried adopting him too.“ Tsuki whispered, “But Teikō reaches everywhere and we feared... so the papers are tucked away in her drawer and we pray, that someday...“ she hiccupped, a tear escaping her eye. “Dai may live with us...“

“But I don’t dare to use the name.“ Aomine admitted, “That might draw the alumni’s attention and we can’t risk that. They ruined our lives.”

“They won’t ruin our families, friends and teammates.“ Ryō hissed poisonously, “Teikō took everything once. We won’t let them take even more.”

“We didn’t want to split up either.“ Sei admitted, “But Teikō wouldn’t let another school have all of us... they wouldn’t allow a school to have the all-star team. Besides, they thought we might kill each other, especially....“

Aomine rubbed his face. “Especially with how many people Sei and Tetsu killed. We all did... but they killed the most, to protect everyone. And Teikō thought we might kill each other too and we were too praised experiments, to die at each others’ hand. They did the one thing, they were best at. Lied and manipulated. So they manipulated the schools we went to.“

“We realised the only way to stay safe,“ Shin said, “to keep everyone safe, was, if we pretended to hate each other and we performed the best. Because then, Teikō would have their eyes set on us and not on everyone else.”

“But... why not go to an adult...?“

“What _adult_ , you idiot?!“ Aomine growled at Kazunari, “We just told you that people whom we once trusted, gave us away to be treated like animals. _For money and power._ Teikō’s like a fucking parasite, reaching everywhere. We didn’t know who we could trust! Hell, Sei and Tsuki did background checks on our coaches and teachers and if one of them would have been off...“

Sei smiled, in a slow and blood-curdling manner. Aomine noticed how some looked at his redhead brother warily and how others shivered in fear. “It would have just taken some money and time and the person is never seen again. No one touches one, who we care about. We learned, that the only ones we could trust without any doubt, were ourselves.”

Deathly silence settled.

“Where is Kuroko-kun?“ Seirin’s coach asked. “What did they do to him?“

Aomine grunted, “They probed at him, like always and he’s probably locked up somewhere dark. Tetsu hates the dark. If we’re lucky, they’ll let him go, so he can stagger back and you wouldn't notice a thing, but...“ he frowned, running a hand through his hair. He was getting restless, “We’ll probably have to break him out and...”

“And get yourself caught?” Imayoshi countered sharply.

Sei sighed next to him, “Nijimura-sempai can be here any moment with the police to arrest those responsible. I’m not going to sit here and let one of my brother’s get mentally broken by these fuckers! You’re sorely mistaken if you think we’re going to sit through more, than tonight. If Tetsu’s not back in a few hours, we’re going.”

“And what will you do?“ Mibuchi asked. “You’ll get caught too and...”

“We’ll _crush them_.“ Atsu murmured darkly, “And paint the walls red with their blood. They’d deserve it for taking Tet-chin.”

“That’s murder you’re talking abou—” Yōsen’s coach said until Shin cut in.

“Is it, Araki-san?“ he asked, readjusting his glasses, “I call that self-defence. ”

The coaches looked at one another and all of them seemed drained to the bone, all of sudden. Another drawn-out silence settled on the room and Aomine felt sick.

The silence was interrupted by the shrill ringing of his phone. Aomine’s eyes went wide and he bolted for his room at a speed, he’d only ever bothered to use, if one of his siblings’ well being was on the line. He grabbed the phone from his bed — Sakurai was thankfully still asleep, thanks to his earplugs,— and hurried back to the lobby, looking at the screen.

**♪♫ ɪɴᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴄᴀʟʟ... ♪♫**

**ᴄᴀʟʟᴇʀ ɪᴅ: ᴜɴᴋɴᴏᴡɴ**

He gulped, glanced at the others in the room, before answering and putting his phone on speaker. “H-Hallo?”

_“Aomine-kun? It’s Nijimura Shūzō. Forgive me for waking you up... but I need you to wake up the others. We’re on our way to arrest those, who are currently in Teikō. The police will need your identities and testimonies.”_

Aomine’s legs gave out and all his siblings froze and a big sob of relief and shock left his lips. “S-sempai...”

_“We’ll be there soon, Aomine-kun...”_

“Nijimura-sempai.” Sei called, snapping out of his trance.

_“Akashi-kun? Is that you?“_

“Hai, sempai. We... tried to keep our current teammates in the dark about Teikō but we were caught tonight. S-sempai, they have Tetsuya. He’s drugged and locked up somewhere in the lower levels...”

Nijimura said something to someone, away from the phone and there was something like a string of curses coming from their sempai, too. _“We’ll hurry, Akashi-kun, Aomine-kun. Kuroko-kun will be safe, I promise you.”_

And with that, the line went dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments :3 Comments are my life-force and they keep me motivated!


	36. ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟᴇᴅ — ꜱʜɪʀᴏɢᴀɴᴇ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to @Zephyr312 who helped/helps brainstorm for this dark beauty of a story, whenever I feel like I don´t know where to go. Dear, you asked for the reveal chapter(s) in another perspective, so here it is! :3

**_12th July, Thursday_ **

Shirogane Eiji knew, that something was wrong, the moment Mibuchi Reo approached him, saying that they needed to have a serious discussion regarding the Miracles. The fact, that the prideful, oddball of a player included the entire former Teikō team, was a big sign. He had seen it.

After his team’s match, led by Imayoshi Shōichi against the _Kiseki no Sedai_... all his team had seemed broken somewhat. Not that he was surprised. That match had been a _massacre_. It still came off odd to him, that Akashi had even allowed so many points to land in the first quarter, but the other three quarters certainly made up for it.

And it seemed, despite the _Kiseki_ going on their seperate ways, all six of them still played well together. Almost disturbingly so, considering the time apart. Sure, all of them had trained, since leaving Teikō and that meant their abilites developed and sharpened further, but that the exact point. All six players abilities had developed seperately, as they were no longer a team. They shouldn’t have been able to play together _that_ well.

Yes, Akashi’s leadership skills were impressive, but the _Kiseki_ were a lazy/arrogant batch. Perhaps Kuroko Tetsuya was the least arrogant, but there was still something in the way he walked and talked, that screamed a sort of odd... superiority. And the boy’s presence was impressively low, lower than even Mayuzumi and the teal was the prime example of _blank,_ in every sense of the word. It was disconcerning.

Teens his age shouldn’t be so emotionally... repressed. Not that Akashi was alright. The redhead had a strong winners mentality, stronger than it was healthy and he certainly had a superiority complex. Sure, that probably came from his upbringing, he’d heard that Akashi Masaomi was as cold and demanding in his home life, as in work, if an old friend’s words were to be believed. And... the fact, that he’d seen Akashi play with scissors before, wasn’t calming either. Of course, not all the time... but he had certainly seen scissors in the redhead’s hand, when he shouldn’t have had it.

He sighed, remembering Kōzō’s words. ( _“Teikō is not what it looks like, as I told you before. I don’t know what they’ve done to those children, after I was gone. What I know for a fact, howerver, is that Akashi Seijūrō was an exceptional player with great leading and charismatic skills. But even bright, talented children as the First String, get broken by a place, like Teikō. In fact, they’re likelier to get harmed in some way, than anyone else.”_ )

Akashi had surely been harmed somehow. Physically or mentally. Or perhaps both. That might be the reason, why he was so fixated on standing above others. Oh, he could see, that the boy was compassionate, but he always made sure to be a step above the rest of the Basketball Club and that was somehow disturbing.

As if there was more to the things, than what he could read. And that bothered him more, than anything else, because no matter how much he tried, Akashi was unwilling to trust him enough to share anything about Teikō. The youth’s words of his time here, were always short, cold and clipped. Warning even.

When he found his colleagues seated in the lobby with a few of their team members, he knew, that Mibuchi had been serious.

The fact that Araki started the conversation with the sentence, that Aomine Daiki had treathened her, surprised and disturbed Shirogane at the same time. To think the boy would dare such a thing... Yes, Harasawa had told him, that the boy had problems with taking orders... but so had Akashi, to an extent. That probably came from their pride, as the members of the (in)famous “Kiseki“. Besides, no matter the uprindging, they were still, in a way, immature children, who thought it entertaining to defy adults.

As he listened to the conversation it became more and more apparent, that all the Miracles were typically problematic teens. The warning bells went off in his head, when Aida Kagetora’s dauther mentioned their “Phantom Player“ treathening others. (Seriously, who allowed a kid like him to carry a knife? If the boy were his, he would have certainly had a word with him by now.)

“In fact,“ Aida cut in, her eyes distant and thoughtful, “he seemed the kind to abhor any sort of violence. Yet, he threw a knife... and then threatened Midorima and Aomine with it that day.“

Mibuchi leaned back in his seat and Shirogane trailed his gaze on his own player for a moment. “Ah, Sei-chan’s always tough. And snaps his scissors around a lot...“

Shirogane’s eyes narrowed. He’d seen those scissors from time to time, but he hadn’t thought, that Akashi was keeping one on his person or something. “Had he harmed you?“

“Nah, no, kantoku. He’s too nagging for that. He just snaps it around... and throws it. But it never got even close to harming us. I... can see he _cares_. But at the same time, sometimes, it’s like I’m facing a completely different person, who wouldn’t hesitate to make those threats of his, the ones that involve a _lot_ of blood, come true. They may have split up... but I can kind of understand why the other Miracles still just keep quiet and go along with what he says.“

Akashi hadn’t seemed violent, despite his tough training methods. Shirogane had to addmit, he had a lot of duties, Rakuzan’s Basketball Club was vast and knowing that Akashi was used to training others, he had allowed the boy to do it, when work was treathening to swallow him whole. And he had never been dissapointed — the redhead certainly knew what he was doing.

But he hadn’t known, that Akashi threw those scissors of his around or that he made bloody treaths. From Mibuchi’s words... it seemed he was _wary_ of Akashi. Shirogane stiffened, wondering, if the First Year was safe to be around or if perhaps, he should attend somewhere else, instead of Rakuzan...

“Seriously? The kid made Kagami keel over and Kagami’s idiot and brash... but gives off the aura of a tiger. And I’ve seen how he made _you_ and the other two kneel the same way, Mibuchi. Sunday night.”

Keel over? Akashi? Seirin’s Power Forward? Now... he would have liked to see that... but the way Imayoshi sphrased it, Akashi had done it to the rest of Rakuzan too and something told him, it didn’t involve a basketball and his impressive Ankle-Breaking technique.

His eyes slipped to Mibuchi, who visibly shuddered, fear flashing in his eyes. Did... he fear Akashi that much? (Was Akashi violent like that, if yes, why hadn’t any of his players said something?) “Ah yes. I still don’t know how Sei-chan does that, but damn it... it’s still better than if he has his scissors in hand. Damn my pride. You just know when not to push something.”

Shirogan frowned. This wasn’t exactly reassuring to hear...

Kaijō’s Captain shifted and then spoke. “Kise mentioned something like that...“ he trailed off thoughtfully, “Ah... to quote him, _‘You don’t defy Akashicchi. Or Kurokocchi... because what Kurokocchi says is what Akashicchi would say.‘_ Or some such.”

Shirogane frowned. The more he heard, the more troubling this was. The blonde’s odd speech pattern aside, it seemed Akashi was violent enough for his ex-teammates to fear and crumble under him.

And then there was the chat. Akashi hadn’t come off, as the sort to chat... and apparently, neither was Aomine Daiki. Yet... the ex-Teikō batch were chatting. He had noticed their tension, but he honesty thought it was just something childish...

The insomnia part didn’t sound healthy, either. Especially not since these were athlete children — or athlete teens, who needed all the nutrition and rest, they could get, if they didn’t want to harm their bodies. (Akashi being a _mother hen—_ why couldn’t he picture _Akashi_ as a mother hen? He knew he cared for Rakuzan, but mother hen was pushing it, with how closed off he seemed to be,— towards his ex-teammates also sounded somewhat _odd_ , since they were all tense, since they’d arrived here.)

Kasamatsu Yukio’s next word choice was also interesting and disturbing. “I’m starting to think the Miracles have a screw loose or something. Kuroko called Akashi “Emperor“ during that conversation.“

 _Nani?_ Were the Miracles all somehow mentally... problematic?

Imayoshi hummed. “Interesting, because on Monday, Aomine did the same. Called Akashi “Emperor“ and... what was his word choice?“ his eyebrows knitted together in thought, “ Ah yes... _‘You don’t defy Akashi. Anyone and everyone, who defies the Emperor, dies. I love living... I hadn’t survived this long... just to die by the Emperor’s hands.‘_ Those were his exact words. And he sounded damn serious, too. When I told him he should be concerned about what I say, since he was now a player of Tōō... he looked at me as if I’ve gone utterly and completely mad.”

Yes. That’s established. Akashi wasn’t mentally alright and if his ex-teammates went about calling him “Emperor”, the other Miracles weren’t fine either. (But then again, when did child prodigies and child stars have healthy lives?)

“And considering Akashi’s fondness of scissors...“ Kazunari murmured, “I can understand why Aomine would say he didn’t want to die.”

“What the Hell Shirogane?“ growled Harasawa, glaring at him, “That kid should be in a mental institute! How in the name of kami did he even pass the entrance evaluations of Rakuzan with such an attitude?”

Shirogane rubbed his face and in that moment, he wondered the same thing. He hadn’t known the whole thing was so serious... “I’ve noticed Akashi wasn’t one to bend for rules, but that might just come from his upbringing. His father is one of the most powerful men in Japan, without being in politics, so he surely raised his son to meet high standards and not to bend for anyone. But this sounds more serious than I thought it could be.”

His head already hurt and he wondered, what was with those kids. They were problematic, that was clear. But why hadn’t their parents done something...? And... _why_ would they hide their friendship? That... didn’t make sense. _At all._ Akashi was a lot of things — even more, than what he knew of, it appeared. But without a doubt, the boy was prideful as Hell and he took the most pride in being called the Captain of the _Kiseki no Sedai_.

Something nagged in the back of his mind about all this. Kōzō’s words about Teikō suddenly became all too troubling...

“They’re late. Shin-chan said they would be back by seven. It’s already _nine_ and they’re nowhere to be found.” that reminder from Shūtoku’s Power Guard was enough to snap him from his train of thought. He glanced at the clock and indeed, the boy was right.

The _Kiseki_ were late. (He had asked Akashi about Teikō’s training, since he had noticed that they were going trough harder drills, than the rest of their respective teams, but the redhead had politely yet pointedly dismissed him. Now, recalling the tone Akashi had used to dismiss his inquiries about Teikō made him even more worried.)

Something was fishy about this school and the Kiseki were in the middle of it, for some reason. And now, they were late.

Shirogane noticed, that Araki wanted to say something in response, but then they heard conversation and footsteps from outside. He picked up Akashi’s voice, altough he couldn’t make out, what had been said. An odd sort of worry and dreed coiled in his gut and once more, he remembered the ominous words of Kōzō. As a coach, it was his duty to ensure the safety and sucess of his team. He was supposed to be someone they could trust and turn to, but Akashi obviously _didn’t_ trust him...

The moment they made it outside, Shirogane noticed them. All the Miracles.

They were ruffled, sweaty... downright weary to the bone. And Murasakibara was holding up Kise, the blonde looking like he might pass out. His eyes narrowed, jut as Mibuchi called out.

“W-what the Hell?!”

There were only _five_ Miracles. (Where was the Phantom Akashi was so fond of?) And looking at them... they were all tired, ready to crumple to the ground, like rag dolls. And Akashi as well as Aomine, looked like they could kill. And the scissors again. Damn it — having those scissors _wasn’t alright_ , especially, if Akashi threw it around...

“Sei-chan?“ Mibuchi prompted sotly.

Dread filled Shirogane, because he had an inking about Teikō now. Did... did they _abuse_ the players? Were they forcing the _Kiseki_ somehow, to put up with the extra training?

“Call me _that_ again and you’ll dearly regret it, _Reo_.“ Akashi warned. Shirogane frowned. What was with that odd habit of his, to call others by their given name? Even after all this time, he couldn’t get used to it.

“Kise?“ Kasamatsu prompted.

Shirogane’s gaze swept the five players present. They looked like dead risen from their graves. “Akashi... what’s going on here?“

Akashi growled, something not exactly... human, not exactly _safe_ flashing trough his cheterochrome eyes. Sharp eyes, that belonged on the face of a predator more, than on the face of a boy Akashi’s age. “I’m sure you have a few clues by now if all of you are here.“

And that was all the confirmation Shirogane needed. Abuse. Teikō was abusing its players and the Kiseki obviously took the burnt of it, to divert Teikō’s attention away from their new teams. Shirogane frowned. ‘ _Why haven’t any of you said something, Akashi? Before we came here... or now?‘_

The blonde choked on something before Shirogane could voice that question and Akashi’s attention was on the Kaijō-Yōsen pair immeditely. That sharp, disturbing glint returned to his gaze. “Damn it. Atsushi, get him inside! Shintarō, his medicine is in my bag. Take care not to wake Kotarō. Daiki, please wake Satsuki. _Now_.”

Shirogane blinked at the odd orders. (And why would Akashi have _Kise’s_ medicine with him?)

“Hai.“ all the Miracles said at once, not even blinking and hurrying off to complete, what they were ordered to do. Shirogane could only blink in bevilderment. It was one thing to hear from other players, that the _Kiseki_ still easily folllowed Akashi... and it was another to witness it.

Shirogane followed their moves with his gaze, only to notice Aomine Daiki falter, looking at Akashi almost like a lost puppy. As if the redhead were still his Captain or something. “What about Tetsu?“

Shirogane raised an eyebrow. He knew Aomine meant his former partner, now attending Seirin.. but what was with that broken tone of voice? And... where in the name of the kami was the teal-haired boy anyway? And _why_ was Aomine looking at Akashi, as if the redhead should know the answer? This thing was getting more and more confusing and worrisome by the moment.

He shifted to look at the redhead Captain. Akashi stood tall and proud, like always... but there was something beastly and broken in his mismatched gaze as well. “I told you, Daiki. I hate doing this... but knowing Tetsuya, at least one of the bastards is dead by now. Serves them right. Now wake Satsuki, please. If we don’t want Ryōta to end up with a full-blown panic attack, she’ll be needed as well. Atsushi looked like he’ll snap any moment and I can’t handle two of you at once and _damn it,_ curb your bloodlust. I’ll gladly hand you my scissors to kill the bastards and damn the consequences when sempai makes it here... but right _now_ , we have some more important things to take care of.”

Shirogane stood, speechless. Becuase he was either a total idiot of a fossil, who didn’t understand the new teen slang (he wasn’t _that_ old yet)... or Akashi meant _muder_. Like murdering people was normal, daily occurance in his life.

Tōō’s Ace turned away, resigned and cowed at the same time. “Gomen, Sei.” and then he was gone.

Shirogane blinked. Maybe he was mishearing things... but hadn’t Aomine called Akashi by his family name, like most people? What was with the sudden nicknames?

“Sei-ch—?“ Mibuchi tried and failed spectacularly. The amount of murderous intent rolling off of the redhead was most disturbing, Shirogane decided.

Akashi growled, levelling the other with a glare, as he took a step closer. _“Not here_ , Reo and for the kami’s sake, call me _that_ again and I’ll pin you to the wall with a set of butter knives and I’ll let Shintarō and Daiki use you for target practice!”

Ah, so that was the violent streak in the redhead, that Mibuchi had mentioned. And, the way he said it, made Shirogane believe, he would do it. ( _Note to self_ , don’t leave his team with Akashi without supervison anymore. It was not safe.)

Akashi strode past them, as if he owned the place and they could do nothing, but follow. When they made it insie, Shirogane noticed the blonde curled into Yōsen’s Center and clinging to him, like some sort of lifeline. Midorima appeared with a meicine box in hand, coming from Akashi’s room. So... the redhead had meant it. For some reason, he carried Kise’s medicine around. (Why did the blonde need it... and more importantly, _why_ did Akashi have it, when they were no longer a team?)

Akashi still played with his scissors and it looked like he was making an effort in staying leaned against the wall, but his eyes still burned with slow, smouldering hate. It was an expression, that didn’t belong onto the face of a High School student.

A little while later Aomine emerged from the women’s room, bringing with him a disshevelled Momoi Satsuki. Her gaze swept the room and then settled on Akashi pleadingly. “S-sei? What... where is Tetsu?“

Shirogane raised an eyebrow. What was with all of them using odd, childish nicknames out of the blue, when just two days ago, him and Takeuchi were coming up with strategies to seperate the Miracles, if they ever literally jumped at each other? They certainly looked they would...

Tension radiated from each Miracle, but it was suddenly broken, when Kise spoke. His voice was strained and it looked like the boy had abandoned all his pride and his sunny smiles, as he clung to his former teammate, looking brokenly at the girl. “T-They took him, Tsuki. I-I tried but _they_...“

“Ryō!” The girl immediately hurried over and latched herself on the blonde’s other side, clasping the Yōsen student’s free hand. Huh... they looked oddly comfortable, like that, despite the morose mood. “It’s okay, we’ll be okay...“

“Ryōta... did they give you something now?“ Akashi’s question was sudden, odd and his tone was downright murderous. Perhaps now, Shirogane thought, he understood _why_ the rest of the team feared their First Year Captain.

Something wasn’t fine and the more he watched the scene, the more he listened, the more certain he was about Teikō’s true nature. The very thought left him sick to the bone and he wondered why hadn’t the Miracles just simply declined the invitation.

Akashi frowned. “It’s not broken, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it out. But you’re certainly in no condition to do anything. Daiki, how’s your back?“ At that question, he was brought back to the present once more.

As Akashi moved from his spot and literally cut the shirt from Aomine...

“What’s going on here?“

Shirogane thoguht the student took the question from his very mouth.

Akashi, in a show of impressive intimidating behaviour, glared at the poor lad, before he spoke, tone laced with... poison. Yes, that was the right word, he decided. “Teikō’s not the sparkly place you’ve seen during the week.“

Midorima looked pleadingly at the redhead, with a sigh. “Sei... Please. It’s not Takao who’s at fault. Don’t kill him. I’d be without a partner then and that’s a bit depressing to think about.“

Akashi snorted derisively at that. “At least Tetsuya would have a valid reason to transfer.“ Shirogane drew up short. In all the months he’d worked with the Heir of the Akashi Corps, he’d never heard him speak in such tone.

“What _the Hell_?”

Shirogane thought he might actually be sick at the sight, as Aomine’s shirt finally fell. The boy’s tanned back was lined with long, wide gashes, the skin raw around it. he could see it wasn’t a fresh wound. Instead it was one, that wasn’t healing properly. (Since _when_ did he have that on his back? If he had been injured...)

Why hadn’t anyone said anything? It seemed Akashi knew of the injury and Shirogane was willing to bet three months worth of his salary, that the other Miracles knew as well. Was Teikō’s terror so great to these boys... that they feared even speaking about it?

“What is—?” Harasawa asked, but was cut off by Midorima. The boy’s green eyes were sharp and murderous.

“ _Teikō_ , what else?”

“That day, when we were paired with Shūtoku and Tōō...“Seirin’s General spoke suddenly, “A few of Teikō’s students came around. Kuroko spoke with your coach and they stayed with us after that. But he lingered, so I went looking for him after we were done. The students from earlier were with him. Second Years, I believe?“

“Second and Third years.“ Midorima answered, “Members of the Second String. Tetsuya was the Second String’s Captain and unofficially the Vice-cap of the whole Clu—”

Shirogane’s eyes widened just a bit. The Phantom? Wasn’t it _Midorima_?

 _“Shintarō!”_ Akashi’s tone was sharp and warning. Shirogane’s eyes flickered to him. The longer this night drew out, the more he saw from that extremely intimidating and commanding side Mibuchi said he had. It was certainly enough to make the Shooting Guard fall silent.

“If you do not say what’s going on, we cannot help.“ Takeuchi pointed out.

Akashi snarled at the man. “The last we trusted grown-ups, we were tossed into the clutches of Teikō.“

Eiji felt sick. Pity and respect sparked in him in equal measures, as he looked at the disshevelled group. For the first time, since he heard of it, he wished Teikō’s truth wasn’t what it was...

“So... what Kōzō told me about Teikō’s abuse of its Club members is correct.“ he said, the words leaving a bitter aftertaste.

Akashi’s gold-and-red gaze narrowed on him and for the first time, Shirogane found himself most unnerved, in the boy’s presence. “So... you knew?“

Shirogane swallowed and told them, what he had been told and what he had deduced. No reason to hold back now. It was obviously true, after all and these children were suffering. As their coaches, as the adults present, it was _their_ duty to help them.

“Who’s this... Nijimura?“ asked Kaijō’s Captain.

Akashi huffed, as he answered. “He led us in the First Year. But when he had to leave, he handed me the Captaincy, saying I was the best choice, with Tetsuya right there with me.“

So it had indeed been the Phantom, who had aided Akashi so much. That explained why Akashi was fond of him, Shirogane decided.

“Funny thing is...“ Aomine snorted softly, “That sempai never even knew, that in the end, Tetsu would be the only one, who could handle you in a mood.”

Akashi growled. “Excuse me, Daiki?“

And from there, it happened in a blink, faster than him or Harasawa could interfere. Shirogane had seen Akashi floor players on the court, but that was a fancy trick with the ball. Something that skilled players could all do. But now, now there was no ball and Akashi still had Tōō’s Power Forward at his feet, looking up at him — funny, because Aomine was taller,— in fear.

“You don’t go ordering _me_ around, Aomine Daiki. I’m _absolute_. Words like that again and you’re the one I’m pinning to the wall, instead of Reo. Are we clear?“

Shirogane felt a small shiver crawl up his spine, as the words reached his ears. Akashi wasn’t just intimidating, when he wanted to be, but _knew_ how to choose his words, too. The air was suddenly stiffling in the room and he wondered how this behaviour of the redhead’s had escaped his attention all this time. It seemed, he was finding out more about the redhead in a single day, than in the months since his arrival.

“C-clear as crytal.“ Aomine said, voice wary and low. He was obviously waiting for Akashi to strike, but instead, the redhead walked away.

“Get ready to wake at five. If Tetsuya’s not here by quarter past five, we’re bringing him out and I _don’t care_ , how many we have to kill in the process.”

Somehow, Shirogane believed him. Somehow, he could picture Akashi, no matter how disturbing that mental picture was, stabbling someone to death with those scissors of his. (That thing was _surely_ sharper, than it was ought to be.)

After Akashi was gone, a tense minute of silence followed, until the former Teikō students spoke as one, glaring at the Power Forward. _“Way to go, Ahomine.”_

If the situation would have been different, he might have smiled at the mean nickname the others had come up with, which seemed to fit the dark-haired boy. Or at least, the Miracles and the girl thought so, if the tone was any clue.

Aomine groaned, burrying his face in his hands. An oddly humane and... vulnerable move from a prideful boy, like him. (But then again, the Miracles had an odd sense of pride... if Teikō was an abusive place, as he supposed.)

“ _Congratulations_. We have the bloody Emperor right back and Tetsu’s not here to placate him. We’re as good, as dead. Or if not us, then he’s certainly going to _slaughter_ everyone else.”

Shirogane’s eyes narrowed on the green-haired boy. _Again_. A Miracle calling Akashi “Emperor“ without hesitation. Was that some sort of code or what?

Aomine’s breath was shaking, as he spoke. “Damn it. _Damn it_. I... _this wasn’t supposed to go this way_. Damn it. We hadn’t seen that side of him since graduation...“

This side of Akashi? What did he mean by that? Before Shirogane could ask, Tōō’s Captain beat him to the question. And then, after a little hesitation, they explained.

And sweet, merciful kami.

It was worse, than he had thought. It wasn’t just violence. But Teikō was a laboratory. And human experimentation was their field of activity. Shirogane’s head spun and he he felt disgust rise in him. Why hadn’t Kōzō...? _Why_ had he allowed it? Why hadn’t he _reported_ it? Or done something? It wasn’t like him, to let such an unethical and cruel thing slide and certainly not, when _children’s lives were on the line_. He just couldn’t fathom...

“Is that why those juniors, who came, bowed to Kuroko so low?“ Kiyoshi asked. “I’ve seen those juniors with Kuroko. They were kind of treating him like the Emperor or someone like that. And Kuroko... said that Teikō couldn’t be escaped.”

Aomine swallowed and Shirogane noticed, that he was still pale. “Kind of. We were the First String. The best, the strongest. It was our responsibility to protect them. They feared us for our skills, but they admired us too.”

“Tetsucchi said, they kinda looked at us, like predators.“ Kise said, “The ones you admire because of the strength, but fear because that strength is enough to kill you. The more treatments we bore, the better we were, the less they harmed the Second and the Third String.“

Shirogane blanched. What was it like, when your own peers and teammates feared you? What— No, in hindsight, he’d rather _not_ know.

Every single word was like a physical blow. How these prodigious children bore the abuse to protect the Second and Third String. And when Aomine said they’d all _killed_... Shirogane was ready to snap himself. Damn it, these were sixteen-year-old teens! And they had to kill to protect themselves and each other?! Where was the government, for the kamis sake?!

And how had Teikō gotten away with the deaths? (Deaths of adults and children alike, from what they were hearing. Was... was their influence so bad, so vast, as Kōzō had said?)

Suddenly, Teikō’s words (eerily close to Rakuzan’s own) made Shirogane even sicker. The way Aomine recited the words made him shiver. Stealing a glance at his colleagues, he could tell they were no better, than him.

Sick. Saddened. Angry. Horrified and a thousand of other emotions.

“If we tried resisting...“ Aomine swallowed again, “Pain followed.”

Shirogane flinced and he noticed Harasawa get even paler. Aomine Daiki may have been a problem child Harasawa beamoned (oddly, they all beamoned their own Miracles, but their behaviour now made a _horrifying sense_ ), but he was a good coach. And he _cared_ , they _all_ did, even if they showed it rarely or in odd ways. Shirogane took pride in raising, coaching the next generation... and now he felt like he’d failed, in not noticing.

“After a while, they realised, we didn’t care for our pain anymore.“ Shirogane’s eyes snapped up at hearing Akashi’s voice again. It was calm and silky, not what it had been before. Even the glint in his eyes seemed different, as if an entirely different person had come back and not the one, who had strode away, sharp orders on his tongue. Akashi offered a hand to Aomine, who was still sitting on the ground. Aomine was startled, wariness oozing off of him, but Akashi seemed to be ignoring it. “Gomen’nasai, Anija. I lost my head.“

Ah, so there it was. What Imayoshi had said. Calling one another brothers without hesitation. It seemed, tonight was full of discoveries about the _Kiseki no Sedai_.

Aomine sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that. All you and Tetsu did all these years, was to protect us.“ he grabbed the offered hand and stood up, letting himself be guided to a seat. Akashi sat next to the Power Forward, closer than he had ever seen the redhead being to anyone. Aomine seemed to relax, just a little.

“When they realised we didn’t care what happened to us...“ Akashi said, looking at them before his eyes glazed over a little, “They started harming others, to get our cooperation. They harmed Satsuki and Tetsuya, to get Daiki to do, what they wanted. They threatened Atsushi or Tetsuya, to get Ryōta to behave. They threatened Ryōta or me, to get Shintarō to cooperate.“

Shirogane shivered. What sort of human being does this to another? Does this to _children_?

“A-and what did the do to get you or Kuroko to...?“

Akashi looked at Iron Heart, but Shirogane didn’t take his gaze off of the redhead, “They soon realised, that Tetsuya was the only one, who could handle me, even in my worst moments. S-sometimes... it doesn’t take much to force my worse self back into those dark parts of my mind. But sometimes...“ he looked down, “Sometimes it took days and when that side of me... we all killed at one point, but there was nothing good in it. It still gives me nightmares. B-but that worse side of me started enjoying the violence and... that was scary. Still is, but I can’t help it.“

“We were aware of the DID for a while now... it started in our second year.“ Kise murmured, “We learned to handle both sides of him...“

Shirogane’s eyes went wide in understanding, as he looked at his player. _Dissociative Identity Disorder._

That explained so much about his sudden behaviour change. But damn it, he should be having that treated! Where was the boy’s father?

Akashi snorted, as he looked at the Kaijō player. “You mean bowing out whenever _he_ ’s around, ne, brother?“

The blonde shrugged. “Nah, the Emperor side of you isn’t too bad either, Seicchi. We just... learned to keep quiet and let your — his?— anger get redirected at the alumni. That was fine. Besides, Tetsucchi can handle him still, can’t he? Otherwise, a few people would be dead — it’s Thursday already and no one died yet. Well, no one, who’s _innocent_.”

Shirogane’s head hurt and he was drained to the bone already. What time was it? (And damn it, another reference to possible murder. This was like a sci-fi/horror movie come to life.)

At least, he unravelled yet another mystery. The _Kiseki_ called Akashi “Emperor“ because of his split personality. Well, as it was, the... violent side of the redhead, was the “Emperor“, if he understood this whole thing correctly. It explained a lot of things, but it didn’t exactly calm his nerves, either. How the Hell was he supposed to handle someone with DID?

The more he listened and watched, the older he felt. Hell, even Mibuchi addmitted Akashi was acting different from before.

Teikō apperently forced the _Kiseki_ to crush his team and Imayoshi. And they did so, because Teikō had their eyes on other people. Literally all of Rakuzan and several notable players from each team. Shirogane was glad he hadn’t had dinner, otherwise it may have come back by now, he thought.

“So we crushed you on the court as they wanted.“ Midorima whispered, tone haunted (but how couldn’t it be haunted after all of this?) “We crushed you even _harder_ than they wanted. The weaker you seemed, the safer you were.“

“Gods be good.“ Harasawa choked, “You... you all...“

“We did, what we had to.“ Akashi said, tone hard, leaving no place for argument. “ _Kaijū no Sedai_ , you said...“ his eyes landed on each player present, who all flinched away at that and Shirogane frowned, (He had heard the not-so-nice version of the moniker, but he hadn’t thought their teams had spoken it here, after that match. He had heard something, but he had naively dismissed it, thinking the newly formed bonds and camardire wouldn’t let the kids say such words about their own teammates.) How foolish of him... “Maybe we are, indeed. If you hear it many times, for long enough, you start believing it. Maybe we’re monsters, but as long, as Teikō cannot reach anyone currently in this damn hotel, that is one of us, it’s fine.”

And following that, the conversation just turned darker and darker and Shirogane for the first time in his life, felt lost and powerless. The way they revealed how all the club was treated, how _they_ had been treated by their own peers...

When Akashi revealed that several of their parents were financing Teikō and that they had been all, but tossed aside for money and power...

_‘Holy... How are these children are still sane? I would have gone mad with rage or grief, if I had found my own father doing something like this!‘_

“We didn’t want to split up either.“ Akashi admitted, “But Teikō wouldn’t let another school have all of us... they wouldn’t allow a school to have the all-star team. Besides, they thought we might kill each other, especially....“

And in Shirogane’s head that made more sense, than he would have liked. Half of them had been thrown away by their familes, the other half of the families didn’t know anything because the children feared the consequences. So they found family in the hellhole, that was Teikō, yet the alumni forced them apart, to protect their dirty secrets.

And damn it Akashi and the Phantom had made a habit of killing, so the other four would not have to! (But they did, anyway, when forced.)

Speak about _trauma_.

DID, ADHD... and he was sure they had PTSD, too. And the gods knew what else. Suddenly, Akashi’s behaviour, regardless of which persona was on the surface, made sense. He hated physical contact, hated to be touched and now Shirogane knew _why_. But he also understood, why he was making an exception with Aomine Daiki, no matter how distant the Power Forward seemed.

And Akashi‘s disturbing habit of carrying razor-sharp scissors... how many he had killed with that, in defence of his teammates (siblings)? And now that pocket knife in Kuroko Tetsuya’s hand too,... _gods!_

The _Kiseki no Sedai_ weren’t a fancy team of basketball geniuses.

They were a band of traumatised teens, who had gone trough more, than someone who had been at war... and were family. They were good at what they did, only because it had meant the only way to stay alive, at one point. (Even if they got help now... somehow, the damage was already done. They would forever be mentally scarred. Not to mention whatever experiments had been done on them...)

A phone rang in the distance and Aomine, despite his injuries, sprang to his feet befitting his speed on the court and disappeared.

Shirogane sighed and he shared looks with his colleagues and friends. A silent agreement passed between them all. Their schools involved or not, they _would_ surely do their best, to help these children. If meeting each other somehow helped —damn it, they were _clinging to each other_ and Akashi didn’t even like being _touched_!— they would make sure the teams crossed paths as often, as possible.

When Aomine answered the phone and Nijimura — their ex-captain, if he recalled corractly,— spoke, saying that he was on the way with the police, to arrest those responsible, Shirogane felt a huge rock fall from his chest.

The poor trapped boy would be saved — hopefully before the bastards could do him more harm,— and they would all be safe.

No one spoke, as the six Teikō students clung to each other, muttering words of whistfullness about freedom and safety. They didn’t say anything either, when Akashi and Aomine snarled words of vegeance, swearing to free their trapped Phantom “brother“ and damn the consequences.

Shirogane knew he _should_ hold them back. They all knew, they should hold them back from going, the moment they spoke the world “kill“. But in that moment, he didn’t feel like being a responsible, sane adult. Because this was no way to treat children. He may not know the boy personally, as the former Teikō team, but _even he would go in to get him out, only because the kid was innocent and didn’t deserve to be treated as something even less, than animal._

From the way the other coaches looked, they knew what they _should_ do. But Shirogane knew they won’t, just as he won’t. No one here felt like being a “responsible“ adult right now. Not after all of this.

They shared a few looks and then Shirogane sighed. Of course his colleagues would make him the spokesperson, only because _he_ was Akashi’s coach. _Figures._

“Akashi.”

His call halted the Miracles in their conversation and planning and the redhead looked at him. The bi-coloured eyes glinted sharply, almost bloodthirstily, his stance, even half hidden by Murasakibara, screamed dominance and Shirogane twitched in discomfort. Ah, so _this_ was the difference between the two personalities. He remembered the others say, that the only one, who could handle Akashi at his worst, was the Phantom, Kuroko. Shirogane made a mental note to speak with the poor boy, if he was alive and got out of capture. (It wouldn’t be any good, after all, if one of his players got killed by Akashi, when in a _mood_.)

“Yes?“

“I believe a palyer of yours is missing? Go, get him back. If the police makes it here, we’ll direct them around and tell them to be careful, because you couldn’t just stay put and leave one of yours in there.”

It was most disturbing, how all of them grinned at once, like a bunch of cheshire cats, Akashi’s scissos snipping.

“Satsuki, _sister_...” the redhead called,

“Ne, _ne_ , _Nī-san?_ “ she returned, tone sickly sweet and Shirogane was reminded, that she had survived Teikō too. The boys may have shielded her the best they could, but from Aomine’s words, they hadn’t always been fast enough. Yet, she was here, so she had her own bloody, violent tricks, of that Shirogane was sure.

“Stay, please. We need someone here. Tetsuya will surely need new clothes and medication, most likely. And food.“ Akashi said matter-of-factly, but the unerlying danger and bloodthirst was still there.

Tōō’s manager nodded. “Sure, sure.“ she agreed, calmer about it, than Shirogane thought it was normal. (But _what_ was _normal_ for these kids?)

She stepped away, shooing the five towards the door. She whirled on her heels, no doubt to do as Akashi had said (oddly enough, he had yet to see one of the batch say no to Akashi, but he kind of understood why they _didn’t_ do that). She paused and glanced back for a bit.

“Ne, Nī-san!” she called out, yet her voice still subdued, not to wake the others.

“What is it, Satsuki?“ Aomine called back.

“Don’t spare anyone you meet~“ she sang.

Aomine snorted, but his eyes flashed, like a predator‘s. “Wasn’t planning to.”

As the Miracles left —and the other, currently present members of their teams started at them, — Shirogane wondered if they’d be damned in the afterlife for letting them all go.

As if reading his mind, Kagetora’s daugher spoke. “Won’t we be all damned for letting them go?”

“Maybe.“ Iron Heart said slowly, “But a part of me feels like I want to go too and get Kuroko out of there myself... but at the same time, they’re his... _family_ , so let this be theirs to do.”

Shirogane wondered when had the realm of the living become Hell...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please tell me what you think :)  
> Comments are like caffeine!


	37. ʀᴇꜱᴄᴜᴇ — ᴍɪᴅᴏʀɪᴍᴀ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS apply, as always: Blood, Violence, Human Experimentaton, Murder

**_12th July, Thursday/ 13th July, Friday_ **

_It was odd._

Running to Teikō, instead of running away, as they’d always dreamed of doing. It was also an oddly freeing, yet heavy feeling, that now people knew who, _what_ they truly were. All this time, they’d worked desperately never to let the world around them know, what monsters Teikō had turned them into.

And soon, everyone would know. (Because he wasn’t naive. With all the arrests, it will be known and he was sure, that while their coaches and teammates won’t reveal anything too personal they’d shared now, the rest of their teams will be at least told of the basics.)

It was freeing, yet it filled him with dread. With the call coming from sempai, they hadn’t even stayed to see the others’ reactions. He hadn’t even been paying attention to Takao, too caught up in calming down Ryō. But that didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered, was _getting Tetsu out of that hellhole before they did something irreversible to him._ Although, Midorima wasn’t naive.

All the prodding and probing.... what Teikō had done to them _already_ , was irreversible. They will never _truly_ get rid of the effects of the enhancements. Their very bodies had been changed and... he was, in a way, aware of their condition enough, to realise, that the mental damage is done (because there was _plenty_ of that, they admitted that much to each other, if not to anyone else,) was probably lasting as well.

After all, their codependency at least, despite the distance between their schools, wasn’t healthy. Waking from nightmares at least four times a week — or not sleeping at all, — wasn’t okay either. Sei and Tetsu’s bloody tendencies or their blankness wasn’t okay. (He was self-aware enough, to know that his obsession with lucky items wasn’t okay, either.)

But they would pull through, for each other, as they did before.

When they reached Teikō’s gates, they shared a look. Uneven numbers, unlike ever before.

“Shintarō, you go with Daiki. Ryōta and Atsushi are coming with me. Knock them out, but if they give you too much trouble, kill them. _No one_ will keep us from our brother.“

Midorima nodded, feeling his bloodlust stir, at the thought of Tetsu being locked up somewhere dark, while his body struggled with the drugs. “Understood.“

He shared a look with Dai and they entered the school. After all, it didn’t take much for Atsu to break down the door. Dai and he turned left, while the others turned right. They would take a look around the First String Gym, while they would look around the Third String Gym and the offices. He was sure, that the place was still busy with demons dressed in white, but that didn’t matter.

The first ones they met, were two men, whose eyes widened, as they noticed them. “You shouldn’t be here!” the one on the right said.

Midorima snorted. “I don’t like being here, either, believe me. But you have our brother and we’re _not_ leaving him here. Where is Tetsuya?”

“What are you talking...?“

“You can’t be such bastards, that you don’t even know his name? But then again, you fuckers never cared for such things, ne?“ Dai spat murderously, “We were never human in your eyes.”

“Because you are _not_ human. From where do you have such a _ridiculous_ notion? _You_? Humans? Not really.“ the one on the left said, as he moved forward, “Now leave, #006 and #007 before we...”

Hearing the number again _snapped_ something in him.

He had never been overly violent, despite everything they’d gone through. What he had done, had been always done in self-defence, or the defence of the Basketball Club. Still, as the men moved forward, he dodged one swiftly, kicking him in the shin. The man cursed, but Dai caught him before he could retaliate and Midorima caught the other one. The man struggled, but Midorima wasn’t about to let go and he added his whole weight, as he pushed the man to the wall. The man kicked him and Midorima took a step back, as the white-coated bastard tried making a break for it.

But the fucker made a mistake. He turned his back. Midorima lunged, an arm grabbing the scientist by the elbow, while the other locked firmly around the man’s neck. Ah, good thing the annoying cockroach was shorter, than him. He had some advance. The man’s hands flew to his arm, trying to remove it, as Midorima tightened his grip.

“Where is Tetsuya?“ he demanded. The man gasped, still trying to get his hand away. Heh, useless.

The fucker was a lab rat too content with his numbers and formulas. He may have been younger, but he was a well-conditioned athlete, who on the top of it, had been exposed to drugs, that made sure his body was stronger and matured a bit differently, all for the sake for the best performance. Now... now the bastard was going to eat what he cooked, Midorima thought with grim humour.

“I’m going to ask again,“ he hissed into the other’s ear, _“Where is Phantom?”_ This time he made sure to use his brother’s code name because, at this point, he didn’t put it past the bastard to _actually_ not know their birth names.

The man struggled and wriggled. “Even if you find him, you won’t get out of here.“ he growled. 

Midorima was starting to lose his patience for real. His grip got even stronger. _**“Where?”** _ he snarled.

“Below the offices, in room 16, but you won’t...“ Midorima had heard enough. He tightened his grip to the strongest he managed and then jerked the man’s head roughly. He heard the snapping of bone and then the bastard went limp.

Frowning in disgust, he dropped the body and looked at Dai. The man he had been dealing with, was also dead, a small medical blade lodged into his neck artery and blood was everywhere. “Oi, couldn’t you have been... _cleaner?_ “

Dai growled at him. “The bastard almost stabbed me!”

“Okay, okay. I have Tetsu’s room. Let’s go! Do you still have your phone? Try calling one of them and tell them we have Tetsu’s location and that they should be getting out.” he instructed, as they sprinted down the corridor.

Dai fiddled with his pocket and took out his phone and tried calling their brothers through the chat. Midorima honestly hoped someone would answer and that they wouldn’t get caught — but knowing the mood Sei was in, it was likelier, that their half of the “school“ would be painted more and more crimson, with all the steps they took. And it was very likely, that Ryō would just ignore his Haemophobia, for now, to kill a few and then they’d all have to worry about the consequences of the blonde’s reckless actions on the way back. 

_Sigh._ Sometimes life was messy when you had six mentally problematic and overly dramatic siblings.

“Atsu? Good gods, you answered!“ Dai called, as they reached a stairwell. Midorima grabbed his arm, to stop him from going further ahead and dragged him downwards. It was gloomy all the way, but his eyes quickly got used to the poor lighting and after a few moments, he saw as perfectly, as before.

“We have Tetsu’s location and we’re almost there. Get out of here, we’ll join you soo— No. _Get out of here!_ ” Dai snapped, voice oddly authoritative.

The kind of I’m-older-than-you-so-you’re-going-to-do-it-because-I-said-so kind of authoritative. The thought, despite the desperate situation, made him smile.

Then, Dai shoved the phone back into his pocket and Midorima started looking for the proper number on the doors. **16.**

He skidded to a halt and frowned when he found the small device, that indicated, that it was locked and they needed a chip card to open it. Damn. He looked at Dai, a moment of total and complete despair flashing through his mind until the Power Forward moved and smashed his elbow into the delicate device. It groaned and fizzled, but nothing happened.

Midorima cursed colourfully under his breath and out of frustration — he had always been the least likely to snap, and they all knew it, but now his nerves were fried,— he slammed his fist into the device again. More sparks flew and he jerked his hand back, just as the screen flashed bright blue before going completely black.

_Click._

He shared a look with Dai — they couldn’t be this lucky. They were _never_ lucky. (Were they lucky enough now? Had destroying the panel caused something in the system, that opened the door?)

He twisted the doorknob and pushed the heavy door. Well, at least heavier, than a normal door was. Relief flooded his body when it opened. He pushed it as hard, as he could, just as Dai took out his phone again for light.

“Tetsu?“ Midorima called into the darkness.

There was a soft whine from the darkness and Dai turned his phone in that direction. “Otōto?“ he called out. There was a shuffle and they moved closer, worried but careful.

Tetsu was curled on the hard ground, eyes distant and scared, his skin even paler, than normal, sweat covering his entire body, clothes soaked with sweat and blood, trembling. And Midorima could see a nasty bruise on his lower arm, probably caused, when he fought against being drugged.

“Tetsu.“ he called out, carefully touching the other, “ _Tetsu_... can you hear me?“

“Shin?“ he blinked, his eyes still wide and glazed over, but more focused, than a moment ago. He shifted a little, tilting his head. “Dai? You came?“

“Yes.“ Midorima answered, as he carefully lifted, his trembling brother, wondering how fast they could get him out of here.

Relief and hope crashed on him when his ears caught the blaring of sirens.

Nijimura-sempai had arrived. It was over.

* * *

They found each other sooner than the police. Not that it was a bad thing in Midorima’s mind. Sei had blood smeared over his clothes, not that it was a surprise. Atsu and Ryō had a murderous look in their eyes and they were in complete disarray. Midorima knew all of them looked the same. Bloody, sweaty and desperate, Tetsu being the worst, still trembling and half-delirious from drugs and fear.

When the police entered — led by Nijimura-sempai, who looked nothing like Midorima remembered him, yet was still the same,— Sei stepped up to be their spokesperson, as he had Tetsu on his back and Dai was holding Tetsu with half-an-arm, to make sure he wouldn’t fall off with all the trembling.

“Sempai.”

“Akashi-kun.“ Nijimura called, relief in his tone, as his eyes swept them over, while several policemen hurried inside, like a swarm of ants.

“Detecti—” a policeman called, only to falter, when he noticed them, “Holy—! W-what are kids like you doing here?!”

Sei snarled, “Well, we were the ones forced under the needles and you were pretty _slow._ The bastards trapped a teammate of ours here, you didn’t expect us to sit like well-trained puppies, while they drugged him to an early grave?”

“ _Akashi-kun, please_ calm down.“ Nijimura called, looking at the man. “Captain, please direct the men. These are the children I told you about, so I will be taking them out of here. They need to see the paramedics.”

The man’s eyes widened in shock and understanding, pity flashing trough his pale yellow eyes. “I see, Nijimura-san. By all means.“

Nijimura sighed and glanced at them, gesturing at the door. “Where is Momoi-chan?“

“Satsuki stayed back in the hotel,“ Sei stated simply, “We were unaware of how long it would take you to make it here, so I told her to get ready to take care of Tetsuya. Although with the paramedics here, that will not be necessary now.”

“No, it won’t be.“ Nijimura said softly, as they hurried over to the two white cars.

Midorima glared at the adults, as they tried taking his shaking brother off and instead got Tetsu on the stretcher with Dai’s help. The paramedics didn’t protest.

“Now please we need to have a look at all...“

Midorima glared at the woman, taking a step back, slipping into a defensive stance. (They were here to _help,_ as a part of him whispered, but instincts were hard to overrule when they’d spent years avoiding and killing those, who wore white.)

“We’re fine.“ Dai snarled.

The woman looked at him in concern. “But the blood...“

“Not ours.“ they chorused, voices flat. Midorima made a gesture at Tetsu, “He was drugged, though. And probably in a panic, because they locked him up and he hates the dark.“

She nodded, eyeing them with concern, but moved to help a colleague of hers. Midorima lingered near with Dai right there. The man looked at them. “Please leave and...”

 _“No.“_ they said at once, tones flat and cold.

Midorima’s eyes narrowed. “You’re mistaken if you think I’m going to —or either of us, really,—going to leave him alone. A bastard wearing white was the one who did this to him, an _adult_ , so excuse me if _I don’t believe_ much, that you’re here to help.“ he snarled.

The two paramedics seemed taken aback, glancing at each other in confusion and shock, but then the woman spoke. “S-stay then.“ her voice was soft and she was making an effort to sound calm, but all she managed to do, was make Midorima’s hackles rise more. “As long as you two give us space to work, you may stay.”

“Do you know... his blood type?“ the man asked uncertainly, “Maybe a transfusion would help, if we take him to the hospital.”

Dai grunted. “It’s A... but maybe you should just let it go through him. It might be safer... the bastards had once tried doing something, like cleaning it from his system and it almost killed him. Besides,“ Dai smiled sharply, grimly, “We don’t know _what_ they gave us, but they weren’t the simple performance enhancers you know about.”

“But maybe something to tone down the effects?“ Midorima murmured.

The paramedics shared a look and set to work.

Midorima hated himself for this... Teikō had been Hell. It still was, this week had proved it. But whatever they had been given, made their senses sharper, their skills better. Made them better players, than anyone else, even if they slowly chipped away at their humanity...

They had survived and adapted to these drugs, whatever they were.

~~Partially it was the drugs, that made them into what they were, into those players, who could win by double and triple digits. _And winning was everything._ ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think :3


	38. ᴡɪʟᴅ ɴɪɢʜᴛ — ʜɪᴍᴜʀᴏ

**_13th July, Friday_ **

The blare and light of the sirens woke everyone and sent several of their teammates into confused panic. Himuro looked at the clock, aware of the fact, that the _Kiseki_ were gone much longer, than they would have been comfortable with and that Nijimura-san was not as fast, as the _Kiseki_ (or Himuro, because goddamn it, they _should not have gone back there_ , even if one of them was trapped in that hellhole!) would have liked.

(Sure, none of them were innocent or defenceless— _far from that_ —, he knew that now, but still, Atsushi _was_ his teammate and even if sometimes the Miracles had come off... as odd, it did not mean he wanted them in danger.) Besides their odd behaviour now made a horrifying amount of sense and it made his stomach twist.

The numbers changed, just as he looked at his phone.

_**00:01** _

Ah, what a _wonderful_ start of a new day! [Note the _heavy_ sarcasm.]

“Eh, what’s going on here?!“

Himuro looked up, just as his childhood friend marched out of the room, having a horrible bedhead — but not worse than a certain Kuroko Tetsuya, from what he’d observed these past days,— glare firmly in place, the fire of annoyance burning in deep red eyes.

“ **It’s the police, Taiga.“** he stated calmly, slipping to English. he was stressed and in times like this, it still happened.

Taiga blinked at him in confusion. **“P-police? Why would the police be coming here?“**

 **“Because, they are needed, of course.“** he stated, **“Teikō Middle School is not what we thought it was and all this training camp had just been... the Generation of Miracles were to come and help expose the place.”**

Even more confused, Taiga’s brows furrowed, as the frenzy around them grew, all awake team members and coaches doing their best, to calm the confused and angry group, as the noise from the sirens intensified. It seemed the police was pulling in.

 **“Expose? W-what needs to be exposed?“** Taiga asked, **“And what does that have to do with the Miracles?“**

 **“All in good time, Taiga.“** he sighed, **“I’m sure the seven ex-students of Teikō will share what they believe must be shared, for everyone to understand at least the basics. If not them, then our coaches.”**

 **“You sound like you** _**know** _ **what it is.”** Taiga pointed out.

Himuro sighed, **“I and several others have been awake when the Miracles had arrived late yesterday.“** he said, pointedly looking at the clock, which made it clear that it was now undeniably past midnight. **“They told us what was must... and then went off to retrieve Kuroko.”**

 **“W-what?“** his friend asked.

 **“Kuroko had not come with them and they went back for him.”** he clarified, somewhat reluctantly.

Taiga arched an eyebrow. **“Why wasn’t he with them? He seemed very buddy, buddy with them on the court against Rakuzan.“** he frowned.

Himuro’s stomach twisted with pity and rage at those words. **“Do not judge so swiftly, Taiga.“** he growled, **“They’d saved us a lot of suffering.”**

**“W-what are you...?”**

“Let’s leave it at that.“ Himuro finished coolly, switching back to Japanese, as he stood up, “They will share, what must be shared, in time. For now, let’s see what the coaches have to say, alright?“

They walked out in front of the hotel and watched the hoard of cars speed past and stop in front of Teikō. Himuro’s stomach flipped again and he hoped all the Miracles were fine. A few police cars pulled up by the gate of the hotel and the officers got out, heading their way. Seirin and Kaijō’s coaches stayed behind to make sure neither of them will move forward, as the other three adults approached the officers.

“Hey, any clues to what’s going on, Himuro?“

Himuro sighed and nodded to his Vice-captain. “Everything will be shared in time, by the coaches.“

“Where is Murasakibara?“ he asked, “I hadn’t seen him...“

“Not here.“ Himuro said, tone clipped. Fukui blinked at him oddly and fell quiet, but that was just him.

Everyone else was overly loud, many trying to sneak closer to hear what the officers were saying, but Himuro noted with some pleasure, that Imayoshi, Kasamatsu and Mibuchi, in an odd show of teamwork were doing their best to aid the coaches and stop anyone from sneaking up on the adults.

After what seemed to be an eternity, yet couldn’t be more, than ten minutes, the coaches told them to leave their rooms, while the police searched it over.

“Coach, what’s going on here?“ someone from Shūtoku demanded.

It was Harasawa-san, who answered, tone hard and authoritative. “Teikō has been found partaking in illegal dealings and now that it has been proved, the police will search the school grounds as well as our rooms, looking for signs of aversion on their part.“

“But what do we have to do that?! That’s Teikō’s problem and...!” someone whined from the crowd.

The coaches shared dark looks, before Araki-kantoku spoke up, her voice high and sharp, carried above the protests. “From what we know, they were illegally keeping track of our activities and the police want to assess that. It shall not take too long, please keep calm.”

Himuro snorted. _Their_ activities weren’t monitored, but the _Kiseki’s_ actions were.

“Tatsuya?“ Taiga prompted again from next to him.

Himuro sighed. “Give it some time, please. All we must know will be said.”

* * *

It took hours until everyone's identities were confirmed and the rooms searched. By then enough has been revealed about Teikō — illegal dealings and physical abuse of students (speak about sharing a _toned-down_ version),— that their teammates had quieted down. Everyone had quietly accepted, that they will not be sleeping any more tonight, so the people had sat down in groups, getting themselves various drinks and keeping their official papers nearby, in case they were needed. Confusion and worry radiated off of everyone, especially since some have noted the missing of a certain group.

In fact, to Himuro’s surprise, it had been Rakuzan’s Phantom of all people, who brought everyone’s attention to this particular piece of information. “Eh, Mibuchi, where is the Captain?“ his dark eyes swept the place, “Scratch that, _where are the Miracles as a whole?_ ”

Heads snapped up at that and the cacophony of voices rose again, until luckily Kaijō’s coach appeared, to quiet down the crowd. “All six of them are with the police...“ that sentence was cut off, as someone screamed.

All eyes snapped over to a certain Momoi Satsuki, as the girl stood in her pink-and-blue pyjamas, eyes wide in terror. _“Nī-chan!”_ she shrieked.

All eyes snapped towards the direction where she was looking and Himuro’s stomach sunk. Aomine, Akashi, Kise and Kuroko had blood on their clothes, although Midorima and Atsushi looked just as haphazard, like the others, even if with less blood. (There were patches on them both, but the other four were _soaked_ in red.)

Kuroko looked like dead risen from the grave, clinging piggyback to Atsushi. All of the Miracles looked equal parts relieved and murderous. At the sight of the blood on their clothes — _because it could not be mistaken for anything else, no one was an idiot, after all_ — deathly quiet fell.

“Satsuki, would you get them fresh sets of clothing?“ Akashi, ever-authoritative and on top, called.

The pink-haired manager looked at Aomine and Kuroko in worry, before nodding. “Of course, Sei.“ she said and scurried off.

Atsushi set Kuroko down and Midorima immediately wrapped an arm around him. “You need a shower.”

Kuroko snorted, seemingly half-asleep. “So do the rest of you, Shin.“

 _“Tetsuya.”_ Akashi’s voice was a warning, but oddly gentle.

The Phantom grunted. “Fine, Sei. Fine. I don’t feel like fighting over who gets to have a shower first. I’m too drained for that. Dai, would you?“

Tōō’s Ace hummed and took over for Midorima and the former Light-Shadow duo took off towards the showers. Akashi looked at Kise. “You as well, Ryōta. Get changed into something comfortable and less ruined. We’ll have a long night.”

“Ah, okay, Seicchi.“ the blonde sighed and dragged his feet towards the bathroom as well.

“I’ll get your clothes!“ Midorima called after the blonde and then disappeared towards Kaijō’s rooms.

Everyone stared at the odd, almost normal and friendly exchange between the Miracles, who were very visibly not-okay and soaked in blood. (A part of Himuro wanted to know what had happened a part of him said, that he was better off _not knowing_ because if he knew, he’d have nightmares for a month.)

“Excuse my language...“ Furihata murmured, “ _But what the freak fucking, sweet Hell is going on here?!”_

Himuro sighed. It was too early in the morning and he hadn’t slept a whiff. He hoped the coaches would help to clear up some of this mess, but even if they helped... This will be _goddamn long_.

* * *

The sun was slowly rising over the horizon by the time the police were done and packing. A dark-haired man came in, just as the teams all settled his eyes sweeping the room until he found Akashi.

“Akashi-kun.”

The redhead was still a mess, dried blood on his clothes and hands, but he didn’t seem bothered by it and that bothered Himuro more than anything else. It seemed he wasn’t the only one, by the way, the other teams kept looking at the redhead — but Rakuzan seemed the be the worst, in terms of reactions. The Kyoto team eyed their Captain as if he were a beast that stepped out from a world they hadn’t known existed, only to be devoured.

“Nijimura-sempai?“ the redhead glided over, swift and elegant on his feet, like on the court, despite the state he was in.

“The involvement of the aforementioned individuals have been confirmed and they will eventually be sentenced accordingly, but that means... Kuroko isn’t the only orphan in the team...”

“That will be dealt with.“ the redhead said dismissively. “I’ve already called my butler and the lawyers will be dealt with as well. Atsushi and Ryōta have sisters and Shintarō still has his mother and sister. I’m sure that Satsuki’s aunt and uncle can be cleaned relatively quickly since we had _not_ shared this with anyone and I know from Daiki and Satsuki, that the woman had long intended to adopt Tetsuya as well.“

Himuro blinked. Did... did Akashi just talk about _arrest and adoption and legal jargon,_ as if it were normal in his life? Damn it... did the Miracles even have _something relatively normal_ in their life? Because right now, the redhead sounded more like a grown businessman, who dealt with his legal shit,— instead of having a parent to deal with it for him—, rather than a First Year High School student.

“Ah, very well. I see you have everything covered Akashi-kun.“

“Daiki warned us the moment you called him that Monday. We all came prepared. Between Tetsuya, Satsuki and I, it shouldn’t take too long. That is if we are given the chance, because I’d be dammed first, then let any of us get thrown into orphanages.”

The black-haired man (teen? he didn’t seem too old...) sighed and carefully patted Akashi on the head as if he were still a child. Huh, Himuro blinked. He hadn’t thought there was anyone, who got away with doing _that_ if it came to Akashi...

“You know how to reach me now. Call me if you or anyone else needs something. I’m often busy, but if I can help in _any way_...“

Akashi hummed. “Of course, Nijimura-sempai. Arigato.”

Ah, so that guy was Nijimura? Their former Captain? But... he was a detective or what? How had he... Himuro shook his head. This was confusing.

“And take a shower. There’s too much blood on you.”

Akashi shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing new, sempai. Nothing new.“ the words were quiet, barely audible.

Himuro still caught them and he caught the hidden meaning as well and a shiver ran down his spine. How were the _Kiseki no Sedai_ still sane enough, to attend school and at least pretend to live normal lives? Himuro was sure he would have long crumpled, mentally or physically — or perhaps both— overwhelmed by all of this. Hell, this one night was already overwhelming...

 _‘They’re different... yet not. They’re stronger than they look, survivors in a way no one else...‘_ he thought.

Nijimura turned to leave, but Akashi still called after him. “Sempai!”

The black-haired male paused and looked back. “Yes?”

“What of our kōhai? Are they...?”

“Safe and sound, most of them with their families. The families will be informed as well and help will be provided for everyone.“

Akashi nodded, his stance relaxing somewhat. “What of Shōgo?“ his tone was sharper, poisonous in a second and Himuro briefly wondered, whom he was talking about.

“From what I know, he’s currently the student of Fukuda Sōgō. They will be informed as well and Haizaki will be checked and monitored from now on.”

Akashi nodded. “Careful with him. He’s mad. I mean, medically _mad_.”

Himuro winced at the phrasing. Somone completely crazy? Like from their age group? (Because it sounded like whoever this Haizaki was, was around their age, if Akashi knew him.)

Nijimura’s eyes darkened. “Are you sure?“

Akashi nodded. “His actions after you left me as Captain, point to that. And I sneaked a look at his file once. The alumni noticed as well, but it was largely ignored. Before anything could be done, he escaped and disappeared. Strikes me as odd, that they let that slip, but that’s perhaps because he displayed behaviour that indicated no one would believe him, especially not if a specialist looked at him and at best, they would have locked him up in a prep-school or something.”

“I see. I will deal with that, thank you for the heads up, Akashi-kun.“

“Sempai, one last favour, if you would.” the redhead called.

“Yes?“

“Send me our files. I understand that the police needs copies of it, but the original ones... we’d have a look.”

Himuro’s brows furrowed. Files? Akashi meant their lab files written by Teikō? Why the Hell would he want to see those?

Nijimura gave the redhead an odd look, no doubt, wondering the same, as Himuro. The Shooting Guard expected, that Rakuzan’s Captain would be shot down, but Nijimura nodded instead. “Of course, Akashi-kun. I’ll see what I can do.“ and then he left.

Himuro watched him go and once the older disappeared, he turned his gaze away, only to be met with piercing mismatched gaze. The cold glint in those eyes froze his very soul. “I do not take kindly to eavesdroppers, _Himuro Tatsuya_. This is mine and my siblings’ problem to deal with, _do not_ poke into it or I _will_ make sure, that you will be going back to America.”

The cool tone sent a shiver down his spine and Himuro was reminded of what he’d been told a few hours ago, about the redhead. Dual personality, of course. And it was clear, that the worse side of him was around tonight. Kami save the poor soul, who crossed paths with him and said a bad word.

“Gomen.“ he murmured, very aware of the fact, that Akashi was still covered in blood and had killed people just a while ago. Best not push his luck...

Akashi tilted his chin up, eyes glinting and Himuro shivered, as the shorter male passed him. ( _Note to self,_ Atsushi may be in a similar state, along with Kuroko. _Don’t probe_.) And maybe it was safer for them all if he warned Taiga and Seirin about this, before more blood was spilt before the Sun rose.

* * *

When Himuro went to find his childhood friend, he found him with the rest of Seirin, huddled together in one corner, the entire team wide-eyed and terror-sicken.

“Hu-human experimentation?“ Taiga choked out, looking at Kiyoshi and their coach.

The General nodded. “Yes. We won’t say too much, because they asked us not to, but that was what Teikō was and the six —seven, because apparently, Momoi-san was also a... _subject_ ,— are one of the luckier ones. And the way they played during the match against Rakuzan and the way they acted, had all been in our defence because Teikō was eyeing us.“

“Eyeing strong players, to be precise.“ their coach clarified, “The whole of Rakuzan, Teppei, Kasamatsu, Imayoshi, Himuro, Kazunari... and even _you_ , Kagami-kun.”

Himuro’s stomach flipped in fear and disgust at the reminder and he made a mental note to approach the Kiseki and properly thank them for their sacrifice. Taiga choked and went several shades paler.

“And you called them monsters.“ he spoke up, drawing Seirin’s attention. He looked at Taiga sharply, “Kuroko is your partner. You should have noticed something was off. I admit, he is hard to read, but all of them are. I told you something was off with Atsushi and all of them. And you dismissed me, saying that’s how they were. Flippant, arrogant monsters.“

Seirin flinched at his words.

“Now I feel like I kicked a dog that just wanted to pull me out of the water, when I can’t swim and made said dog drown in the process...“ Seirin’s Captain groaned softly, burying his face in his hands. Taiga just stared at him, mouth ajar.

“Tell me, Taiga... does a flippant, arrogant monster _protect_ you? Because _that’s what they did_ . They _protected us_.“

“I...“

“Heh, at least Atsu _has_ a reason to like you.“ a new, gruff voice called. Himuro turned along with Seirin, to find Aomine standing there, loose black clothes clinging to his form a few patches darker, probably from the water, his hair still dripping wet, dark blue eyes as sharp, as the blades Kuroko and Akashi carried.

“What are you doing he—”

“ _Shut_ _your trap_ .“ Aomine snarled at Taiga, “You _don’t know Tetsu at all_ and I think, I told you before, that your light’s dim. He’ll never get anywhere with you. Tetsu might be physically weaker, than the rest of us... but he’s stronger than me or Shin or Atsu, in many ways.“ he grunted, “Gods, I hope Sei can deal with transfer and Tetsu ends up either in Tōō or Rakuzan before I lose my cool and kill you.“

Himuro flinched a bit, knowing it might not be beyond the Power Forward to do it. “What brings you here, Aomine? I thought you’d be staying with Kuroko...?“ he tried tentatively, before Tōō’s Ace tackled his childhood friend to the ground, to gouge his eyes out.

“Ah, shit night, might as well make use of it, no? Tetsu’s better now, but way too awake, so needing rest or not, he’s not going to sleep a whiff. Neither of us will, but Tetsu and Tsuki can at least help Sei with the legal shit. But we need the papers for that and I don’t think barging into rooms is a good idea. So... now that you’re here...“ his brows furrowed thoughtfully, “Himuro, was it?“

“Yes.“ he nodded.

“Ah, sorry, Atsu’s odd nicknames make it hard to remember. So, I need his papers again. I think they were taken back to your room? Mind giving them to me? I have another three to collect...”

Himuro nodded. “Come with me. May I ask what for?”

“Tetsu said something about child custody or adoption or whatever... the legal shit is his and Sei’s field, not mine.”

Himuro nodded. “I see. Come with me then. The sooner Kuroko and Akashi are done, the sooner they can sleep.”

Aomine snorted derisively. “You know you’re talking about sleep? To an insomniac? About insomniacs?“

Himuro wrinkled his nose and sighed. “Ah... just... let’s go. Forget I said anything.”

The _Kiseki_ may be mentally messed up insomniacs, but _he wasn’t_ and he needed his sleep. The faster this was done with the better it was for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think :3


	39. ᴛᴇʀʀᴏʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛᴇɪᴋō — ʜᴀʏᴀᴍᴀ

**_13th July, Friday_ **

Confusion.

That was the first thing, that flashed trough the mind of Hayama Kotarō, as the police flooded the place and they were told to leave them work. No one seemed to know what was going on, only perhaps the coaches...

No. His green eyes stopped on his teammate, who was oddly clam, too calm despite the mess around them. “What’s going on, Reo-nē?“ he asked.

“Coach will surely say. I cannot. Not yet...“

Hayama’s brows furrowed. And then, just as their Vice-captain promised, they were told. Apperently, Teikō was found neck-deep in illegal activites and were also abusing their players. That made him frown a little. Was their Captain hurt? And then Mayuzumi pointed out that the Miracles were not here and Hayama’s heart skipped a beat.

Akashi and the rest of the Miracles had been brutal during the match and that hurt — hurt more, than anything—, but he didn’t want either of them physically harmed. They were mean and arrogant, but no one should be...

His thought process was cut off, when the Miracles arrived and he blanched. All of them were haphazard and bloody — and damn it all, they were not just bloody. They were soaked in it.

Nausea rose in him, as he realised, that Akashi’s originally white shirt was completely crimson at the front, the blood sticking the fabric to his form, lazily dripping from the hem onto the ground. And _fuck it_ — both of the redhead’s hands were _bloody_ , his scissors clutched in his right hand, also _bloody_.

 _Monster_ , a part of his mind whispered. The sight made him shiver — so those bloody treaths of Akashi’s weren’t just empty words. Somehow... somehow that realisation just made things worse.

What the Hell was going on here?

Numb and fearful, they waited for the police to be done with their investigtion, before they could all go back inside. By then, he was frozen to the bone, although he couldn’t decide, if it was the chilly night air, that bothered him or the chaos and the blood he’d seen Akashi covered in. Gods above, their Captain looked like he’d _bathed_ in it!

The Miracles’ were acting oddly kind to each other, but he could barely register that... because goddamn it, _their Captian was covered in blood, was holding bloody scissors and none of the adults were freaking out and calling murder!_ (Did Akashi murder someone? It looked like he _did_...) And why the Hell were the Miracles completely okay with Akashi being covered in blood? They weren’t freaking out either. In hindsight, both Aomine and Murasakibara were bloody... as was Kuroko, who looked like he might die any moment.

* * *

After what felt like forever, they could finally go back inside and then the coaches told them to get comfortable however they liked, because no one seemed to be willing to go back to sleep. Hayama snorted at that. “Of course not.“ he grouched, “Some explanations would be nice”

“And you’ll get them soon enough.“ a cool voice said and it sent a shiver down Hayama’s spine.

It was Midorima, his stance screaming _danger,_ green eyes dark. Water dripped from his hair, but he wore clean clothes and there was not a drop of blood on him, not even a wrinkle on his shirt. He looked perfect, despite looking terrible just half an hour ago.

Hayama didn’t say anything, as he realised that their teams were sitting down, some with blankets and a drink in hand. Their coaches stood/sat near the door.

Midorima was the first one to arrive and he settled facing them all, his back firmly pressed against the wall, face blank. The next ones to arrive were Aomine and Momoi-san and Tōō’s Power Forward was carrying Kuroko bridal style, the Phantom seemingly in an uneasy sleep. Hayama noticed the glint in Midorima’s eyes, as he stood to help Aomine.

They settled quietly, the Phantom gently craddled in Aomine’s lap. The next one to arrive was Kise, who sat on Aomine’s left and gently took Kuroko’s hand, looking worried, stressed and nauseated, but better, than before.

After Kise, cama Akashi. To Hayama’s relief, he was completely blood-free, dressed in a set of loose, fresh clothes, his hair seeming darker than it was, due to still being damp. His heterochrome eyes were oddly... calm and worried, as he glanced at the Tōō-Seirin duo.

“How’s Tetsu?“ he asked.

Hayama blinked and pinched himself. The Hell? He’d hever heard Akashi call anyone by a nickname. Their Captain had that odd, intimidating habit of calling others by their given name rather... sinisterly.

Aomine sighed. “Better, but he’s still clutching to me and that’s not good. It would be better, if he could just go trough his drills to ride this out, but at the same time, it might turn things worse. He’s certainly not awake. Well, half-conscious at best and he only registers my presence.“

Hayama wrinkled his nose. What was Aomine talking about? Before he could ponder on it more, Kuroko twitched just a bit and to the blonde’s surprise, towards Akashi.

The redhead sighed and settled close to Aomine. Close, as in _their shoulders touching_. He’d never seen Akashi being so close to anyone before — he didn’t even allow Reo-nē that close to himself and that was saying something. Kuroko shifted again, blindly reaching towards Akashi.

Akashi sighed and grabbed the teal’s hand. Midorima huffed. “Well, at least we know he’s somewhat aware of his surroundings.”

Akashi snorted. “Don’t be so naive, Shintarō. You know his senses always got narrowed down, when this happened. Righ now, for him, literally only Daiki and I exist and that’s not good.”

“He’s just going to get extra clingy, Seicchi.“ Kise said, “And you can’t leave him alone for the day, that’s all. And you or Daicchi will have to go with him for the morning routines... but maybe just you. Daicchi’s back didn’t look okay... so maybe he should just stay put.”

Aomine snorted at that. “Says the one who had a panic/shock episode just a while ago.”

The copycat crossed his arms. “You know I can’t stand blood! Besides, they tied me up damn it!”

“He’s right anyway.“ Midorima chimed in, looking at the blonde, “Reckless of you to even come, Haemophobia and all...! You should have stayed with Tsuki.”

 _“And leave Tetsucchi locked up?!“_ the blonde roared, “Or leave you to go _alone_...?!”

“Shintarō, Ryōta, _enough_!” Hayama flinched at the sharpness of Akashi’s voice. Kuroko twitched again, but didn’t wake up, which was a surprise.

The two Miracles slumped a little and muttered some apologies — wasn’t that a surprise?— before settling again. Murasakibara was the last one to arrive, his wet hair tied back, the biggest pack of mochi Hayama had ever seen in his hand.

Akashi blinked and looked at the sweets in interest, which was odd. Akashi hadn’t striked him as a sweet-toothed individual. “Huh? Where do you have that from, Atsu? I doubt the police had let you walk to the convenience store...”

“Nijimura-sempai left it for us,“ the Center said, sitting down and placing the box in front of them, so all the Miracles could reach for it, “because he remembered that we all like it.”

Akashi smiled.

Damn it, Akashi smiled. (Akashi _could_ smile?)

“Of course he remembered.“ he snorts, “Let’s face it. If we weren’t eating pocari, we were eating mochi.“ he took one and sighed, “Ah, sad we don’t have matcha.”

Aomine snorted, as he took another. “You want too much, Sei, don’t you think? I call it an improvement, compared to the last two years. We’re actually sitting here, eating mochi without having to check for cameras and spies and I certainly don’t remember, when was the last time Tetsu slept like this, even if it’s side-effect of the drugs.”

Hayama drew up short.

“Drugs? Kuroko.... was _drugged_?“ Seirin’s Point Guard asked.

The Miracles froze, as if only registering their presence and then shifted a little to look their way. They shared a look and then Midorima started speaking.

“Teikō wasn’t a sparkly, perfect dream place and anyone who said that, is either one of the Teikō alumi or is definitely mad.” he said, tone hard, “Teikō was — is Hell on Earth. First... when we got addmitted into the school it certainly seemed the perfect place. Strong education and well-known sport teams. At first... naive as we were, we even considered taking Teikō’s motto to heart.“

“ _Hyakusenhyakushō_.” Yōsen’s Center continoued. But there was something in his bored tone, something cold and sharp, that made him shiver with dread. “ _Hyaku notatakai, hyaku no shōri._ Those are Teikō’s words and they made sure all students took that to heart. But us — the Basketball Club— were the ones, whose first words were these, even woken from our dreams. But the thing is... victory had become our survival.”

“Nothing was beyond them, to achieve victory and we were the tools for it.“ Akashi said, tone sharp and cold, “The training was hard, thrice as bad, as the one you tasted during the week.”

Hayama choked. “Wh-what?! But we almost died from this one! And _we_ were pretty good, compared to the other teams!” he said, making a gesture at the others.

Akashi nodded, his smile sad, yet sharp. “Because I made sure of it, Kotarō. Call me Devil for the training I put you trough... but... I did it so you will _survive_. Once of Teikō is always of Teikō. _Teikō can’t be escaped_. We knew, that sooner or later, they will reach for us, again and that our new teams will be in the crossfire. We didn’t know when or how, but that hardly matters.”

“Only survival mattered.“ Aomine said, tone dark, “If we lost a match, it was not beyond them to use physical punishment or to tripple the already hard training, until we couldn’t even drag our feet out of the gym.“

Everyone winced at that, eyes going wide. Hayama hissed. Physical harm? Had they been _beaten_ , if they lost?

“And yes,“ Aomine said, looking at him as if he’d read his thoughts, “I meant beating. Or...“ he shivered, “whipping. But physical pain was our smallest problem.”

Hayama’s breath hitched. Smallest problem? It was their smallest PROBLEM?! They’d been beaten if they lost and he called tha the **SMALLEST** problem?!

“School is just a farce. It was just an appearance.“ Kise said, none of the cheerfulness and sparkliness in his eyes, “It’s a laboratory.“

Hayama’s stomach flipped.

“And _we_ were the rats running in circles, who were being watched and poked at.“ Tōō’s manager said, her tone soft, but cold, as she pressed herslef closer to Kise and Murasakibara. The huge Center draped an arm around her protectively.

Hayama’s breath hitched. Did... did she mean...

“Do you mean...?“ Ei-chan choked and Midorima nodded.

“Yes. Human experimentation. And the Basketball Club — over hundred students, I believe,— were the subejects. Ourselves included.” Midorima finished for him.

“Pills, needles. Drugs in every form.“ Akashi said, “Performance enhancers... and other things too, we can’t even put names to. Things that... are at best, labelled illegal.”

 _At best labelled illegal._ Terror. That was the only thing Hayama could feel, as the words sunk in. Physical harm. Experimentation... what the _fuck?!_

The tense silence was broken, when Kuroko groaned in Aomine’s lap and the Miracles moved as one. They gave extra space for the smaller boy to stretch and stood, ready to spring into action, whatever needed to be done.

“Tetsu?“ Aomine called, tone oddly gentle.

The Phantom groaned again and shifted almost falling off of Aomine’s lap, but the Power Forward held him up, as the other dry heaved.

“Ryōta, Shintarō bring...!” Akashi didn’t even finish his sentence, when the two Miracles sprang from their spot at blinding speed, just like when they’d been on the court. Aomine shifted, holding the Phantom close.

“You’re not going to like this, Otōto, but you’ve been like this for a long while. Gotta stand up or your muscles...“

Akashi grabbed Kuroko and helped him stand. “Breath, Tetsuya. Breath. And stand up. You need to...“ the sentence was cut off as the Seirin player bent over, but Akashi and Aomine both grabbed him.

“Tetsu. No, no. Up. _Stay up_.”

“Relax, Tetsuya. We’re here. Breath. And stay up, please. You know otherwise you won’t be able to breath properly.“ Akashi instructed, tone calm despite the fact, that he just suggesed the other might choke to death.

“Shit he’s burning up!” Amomine growled.

“ _Shintarō, Ryōta, hurry your sorry asses before Tetsuya_ _gets even worse!_ ” Akashi snapped, tone oddly desperate. Hayama frowned —he’d never heard Akashi like this before and it made him uneasy.

As if by summoned by the words, the two Miracles appeared out of thin air, Kise bringing a glass of water and Midorima a wet towel. Slowly, Kuroko could stand up normally, but he was still clutching Aomine and Akashi for dear life. Midorima draped the wet towel around his neck, which caused a soft sigh of relief. As he stepped back, Kise took his place and put the glass of water to Kuroko’s lips, tilting his head back a bit.

“Slowly, Tetsucchi. _Slowly_.“ he said, as the Phantom drank.

The water was gone quickly and Aomine shifted the wet towel, which caused another sigh of relief from Kuroko. Meanwhile, Momoi-san and Akashi were slowly helping him move around, just a little. After about five minutes —and another glass of cold water— of greaveus silence later, Kuroko was looking much better, but his face was flushed with fever and he was clinging to Akashi and Aomine, as if they were the only ones anchoring him to the ground.

“Can you breath properly now?” Aomine asked, his attention fully focused on the Seirin player.

Kuroko took a deep breath and nodded. “Better, I guess. But I’m cold.”

Aomine nodded and slowly sat down, gently bringing Kuroko with him, as Murasakibara loomed over the two. “Here, Tet-chin.” the giant called, peeling off his Yōsen-coloured jacket to wrap around Kuroko. The teal snuggled into it and smiled.

“Thanks, Atsu.” Kuroko sighed and settled against Aomine’s chest, as if the other were the most comfortable pillow of the world. Momoi-san appeared — when had she left?— and draped Aomine’s Tōō-coloured jacket over the Phantom.

It took another few moments, before all the Miracles relaxed, as Kuroko’s rythmic breathing filled the deathly quiet room. “Good gods, that’s worse than before.“ Midorima groaned, “We’ll have to keep his fever down and keep him warm and considering how much effort it took him to focus on Atsu...”

“Yes, yes.“ Akashi sighed, “Looks like Daiki and I will be confined to stay next to him, at least until the fever goes down.”

“What was it they gave him?“ asked Murasakibara, looking at Kise.

Kise paused, biting his bottom lip. “The usuals, but it sounded like they mixed his usuals into one, but stronger. Sounded like they wanted him and Daicchi togther again.”

Usuals. Hayama blanched. So being drugged and poked at had been usual for the Miracles? What the... how had they gone trough the three years of Middle School?

Aomine shivered. “Well, at least that explains why they doubled my doses both days.”

 _“Daiki!”_ Akashi growled, “Doubled?! You should have said...!”

“ ** _What?_** “ Aomine growled, tone sharp as he glared at Akashi for a moment —and Hayama’s fist thought was that _damn it they were going to die, because Akashi didn’t allow anyone to speak to thim like that,_ — but the next, he looked away and took a deep breath. “What the freak fucking hell was I supposed to say? And don’t make it sound, as if I and Tetsu were the only ones. They doubled _your_ doses, too ne? Probably everyones’, we just have it better, than Tetsu. But don’t think I could eat... actually I regret even that one mochi, no matter how much I like it. And damn it, you look like you’re going to throw up too, so don’t go giving me that look.”

Akashi twitched and slumped to the ground. “Fuck it. Double doses, huh? What do you think... how long will it take to get completely absorbed?“

“Well, the more we move, the more energy we use up...“ Midorima listed, “And count in the faster metabolism... so it’s probably mostly absorbed by now and in a few days, we can count on the backlash, when there won’t be another dose.”

Kise snarled. “Fuck it. I don’t feel like dying on the way back to Kanagawa.”

“You wouldn’t be the only one, Ryō-chin. Everyone will have to travel a lot. Dai-chin, Tet-chin and Sa-chin are rather lucky... but with how Tet-chin is now....“

“Don’t.“ Akashi huffed, “Atsushi, for the sake of all that is holy, _do not_ finish that sentence!”

“Sorry, Sei-chin.“

Hayama shivered, as the tension rose in the room. They expected the Miracles to move, but all of them remained unmoving and silent for a very long time. And then, just when someone was about to say something — or before he could say something or move,— Aomine spoke again, his dark blue eyes sweeping the room, before his attention was once more solely focused on Kuroko.

“The poking and the drugs became normal by the end of the second semester, during our Second Year. No one, who was part of the Club, escaped it.“ Midorima said. “Win the matches, that was what they wanted. Win by a landslide and you will survive. So we did.”

“We won.“ Akashi spoke, picking up again, “No mistakes. No stopping. We crushed every single team, that crossed us on the court. As long as we won, we were useful.“

“Being useful, meant you stayed alive to be poked and proded at another day.“ Momoi said, “I collected all the data they wanted. I worked on them and... then helped the boys devise a strategy. Not just to win —but to _destroy.“_

“But sometimes, just sometimes, we reisted,“ Aomine picked up, “Because no matter what, we still wanted our freedom. They tried harming us and seperating us. We didn’t allow that. We protected ourselves and each other and more than once, it meant that our hands were painted red with _their_ bloood.“

“We weren’t the only ones they did this to, but the entire Club.“ Kise said, “But the better we were, the less they hurt the Second and Third String and that... if you were not good enough, they got rid of you. You were never seen again. We didn’t allow each other to slip from where we were, because that meant pain... meant death.“

“So we did it. We won and got better, because as long as the alumni’s attention was on us, the rest of the Club was relatively safe.“ Akashi said, “The rest of the Club... theorically we were all in the same boat. Techincally they feared us and didn’t even dare looking our way. The only one they could be around and actually speak to instead of turning into mute, trembling kittens, was Tetsu.“ he sighed, looking at the floor, his chin resting on his hands, elbows on his legs, “More than once if, _when_ you couldn’t keep up... they would do something worse. We protected them. I... I don’t even remember, how many times I stabbed a white-coated bastard with a needle or my scissors, to keep the Club members safe. Tetsu was right next to me every time.”

“We all killed to protect ourselves and others.“ Kise whispered, “But Seicchi and Tetsucchi the most... we should have...”

Akashi snorted, looking at Kise, before he turned away again. “Should have _what_ , Ryō? I was the Captain. Nijimura-sempai trusted _me_ with your safety, before he left. I should have never taught Tetsuya. And when you joined... I should have told you to run and never look back, but I was a freaking selfish coward and I told you to stay, because Shōgo was a danger to us all....“

“... and you were right, as always.“ Kise said, “He was a danger. Remember, he almost had me. He raped Satsucchi and he almost killed Tetsucchi...”

“And that wouldn’t have happened, if Tetsuya had stayed with Daiki...”

 _“Oh come now, Sei!”_ Aomine growled, “Haizaki was a certified asshole with so much arrogance, that it would have been an overdose for the entire Club! He was Mr. Experiment Gone Wrong, who got jealous of Tetsu, because Tetsu was the Captain of the lower Strings and practically the Vice-Cap and your apprentice. Therefore, if something had happened to you, Shin and Tetsu would have been leading us and that never sat well with the fucker. He hated Ryō because Ryō was better than him, because the fuckers _tossed him aside for Ryō_ and the cherry on top was that Ryō had been Tetsu’s apprentice.”

Hayama’s head spun. It seemed the Mircales were ignoring them again, to get rid of all their angst, but... by the way they spoke, it was enough to catch the big things.

Akashi taught Kuroko and Kuroko was practicly the Vice-cap of the _Kiseki_ (huh surprise, surprise). Apperently, there was a guy, who had been kicked out of the Club for Kise and the guy almost killed Kise and Kuroko for it. The Hell?!

“Wait, slow down...“ someone called, “What happened?“ Hayama looked to his right and oticeed that it had been Kaijō’s Captain, who had spoken.

The Miracles sighed and Akashi glanced at the Kaijō player. “Ryōta only joined us in the Second Year. Before that, we had another Small Forward, Haizaki Shōgo. Brash and arrogant beyond measure, who didn’t understand what it meant to be a team or that team meant survival, in Teikō. Mine, Shintarō and Tetsuya’s families all have — had a hand in the alumni. They aided Teikō’s work, so we had no choice, but to endure. Atsushi, Daiki, Ryōta and Satsuki learned to keep quiet, because that was the only way to keep their families safe. Haizaki was a trouble-maker of the worst kind, who despised Daiki at first, for the attention he got. When Tetsuya stepped up as our member... I taught him to use his style and Shōgo didn’t like it. That Tetsuya — whom he deemed useless,— was... as he phrased it, prancing around me.“ Akashi snorted, “Officially Shintarō was the Vice-captain, but unofficially, I spent more time with Tetsuya, to help him perfect Misdirection. That ruffled the bastard’s feathers. When Ryōta came along... Tetsuya became his mentor and by then, he was the Captain of the lower Strings. Shōgo attacked Tetsuya and almost killed him. After he recovered, I told Shōgo to piss off and leave my players be. He continously broke rules and made Ryōta’s life worse.“

“If you could not keep up, you were useless.“ Aomine suddenly cut in, “He kept injuring Ryō, to get the spot back on the team, he deemed as his. When his advances on Ryō and Tetsu didn’t seem to work... he targeted Satsuki.“

Hayama shivered, because something dark flashed trough all Miracles’ eyes.

“I didn’t feel well, so I broke off from the boys for a bit.“ Momoi suddenly spoke up, “Went to the infirmary. He found me alone and...“ she trailed off before swallowing hard, “raped me. Atsu and Shin took me home. I never told my uncle and aunt what had happened, like we never told anyone, what Teikō trully was.“

“Teikō didn’t care for what happened to Satsuki.“ Akashi whispered, “But they certainly noticed Hazaki’s changing behaviour and labelled him as dangerous. Before they could get rid of him, he escaped.”

Hayama’s stomach flipped and he bit his lip. “And... you let him get away with it? With what he’d done to Momoi-san?“

Akashi looked at him and smirked. “No, _of course not_. We went after him and demonstrated what we thought about someone, who hurt a member of our family.“ he tilted his head to the side, “I’ve yet to figure out what had prompted Tetsuya to steal the letter opener from the student office. He stabbed Shōgo with it. It was after that incident, that Tetsuya started carrying around that knife of his. Which might I add, was a good idea. We both learned never to let go of those blades, because those were the only things, that kept the others alive. They tried taking them... but by then, we learned...“

“If you jerk someone’s neck in the right angle and with enough force...“ Midorima spoke, tone cool and a blood-chilling smile on his face, “It’ll snap. We learned to use our surroundings to defend ourselves.“

Hayama shivered. _Note to self_ , don’t piss off any Miracle, because they could kill him in various ways.

“W-when Kise... when you said that Akashi, Kuroko and Aomine are capable of killing with a basketball... you weren’t kidding, were you?“ Kasamatsu asked.

Hayama perked up, glancing at Kaijō’s Captian, as the blonde Copycat gaped. “H-how do you know... th-that?“

Kasamatsu sighed. “I heard you and Kuroko months ago. In the bathroom, when he scolded you for not taking medicines or something. And you asked him where the others were.”

Kise shivered. “Ah... you should’ve never heard that, sempai.“

Kasamatsu huffed. “Way too late now.”

“He wasn’t kidding, though.“ Aomine grunted, “We learned to defend ourselves, altough Tetsu has the most chance in killing in such a way. His passes and all... but we could pull of something like that, too. Hopefully, it will never be needed again.”

Quiet settled around them again.

“A-and the match? Against us?“ Ei-chan asked, looking at Akashi. “If you say Teikō was a place like this... why play like that? Why...”

Akashi’s sharp eyes landed on them. “To protect you. You were never supposed to know, what Teikō was like. They were only interested in us, at first and we intened to keep it that way.“

“But they already found new targets to poke on. Players with great skill and potential.“ Midorima said, “Kagami, Takao, Himuro...“ with each name spoken, his green eyes stopped on the person, “Kasamatsu, Imayoshi, Mayuzumi and the Uncrowned Generals. They wanted to do the same to you, they did to us.“

“So we won the match.“ Murasakibara spoke, “We crushed you as Teikō wanted.“

“We crushed you _more_ , than Teikō wanted.“ Aomine injected, “The weaker you all seemed, compared to us, the safer you were. The more detached we seemed from you, the more hateful we appeared against one another, the safer it was.“ he shifted a little and Kuroko huffed and snuggled closer.

Hayama almost cooed. The teal was cute, sleeping like that. Aomine glanced down at the sleeping Phantom, smiled, like a big brother would, he guessed, smoothered his hair down — only for it to stand up again and Hayama snickered,— and looked back at the group, or specifically at Tōō.

“Call us monsters, all you want... but I’d do this again, if it meant no other person would have to taste the Hell we had gone trough.”

“Everything we did, was to keep up appearances, because Teikō was watching.“ Murasakibara murmured, “Everything we did was, so that you wouldn’t... have to fear for your families, like we did.”

“To Hell with Teikō’s damnable victory.“ Akashi spat, “We just wanted you away from the Hell we’d gone trough. If losing...“ he looked at Imayoshi and then one by one, at Rakuzan and Hayama blanched at the honesty radiating from him, “If us losing the match would have saved you, I— we would have given you vicotry. Just the way crushing you had saved you...“ he trailed off. “They seperated the seven of us because they didn’t want another school to have a strong team, like us. I feared what might become of Rakuzan, if your skills were proven...”

Hayama swallowed damn it.

 _Kaijū no Sedai..._ he’d called them. And all they did... (Damn it. He’d never, ever felt this bad. _Damn it_ , their kōhai literally saved their lives by winning that match and he’d cursed Akashi for it...)

Hayama choked, looking wide-eyed at his Captain. “I’m sorry. I... what I said... what I called you... I shouldn’t have. You _saved_ us.“

Akashi smiled at him sadly, as he shared looks with the other Kiseki. Their eyes were sharp, but sad. Painful even to look at.

“You were not so far from the truth, General.“ Aomine said, voice low. “We are what we are. What Teikō had made us to be.“

Hayama shivered. There was something dangerous, sinister in those words.

Yet, at the same time he could not help but respect and pity the seven at the same time, as he watched them inch closer and closer to one another, until they were an unidentifiable pile of limbs and one could not say where one person started and where another ended.

Yes. Now he could see. Akashi had called them a family and now, Hayama could see that family. A royally messed up family, but they still clung to one another, even when, _if_ Teikō forced them apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments :)


	40. ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ — ᴋᴀɢᴀᴍɪ

**_13th July, Friday_ **

Kagami felt sick.

Teikō had been a laboratory. And the Kiseki had been experimented on — and apparently, if what the batch had said, out of about a hundred of students, only the seven of them counted as “successful“ projects.

Mental and physical abuse. And Teikō had wanted them, too.

Wanted him. Wanted Tatsuya. And several others from the other teams as well. Kiyoshi included. _Holy Hell!_

“Kagami-ku—?” the moment his coach spoke, Kagami realised just how sick he felt. He sprang to his feet as fast, as he could and bolted for the bathroom. He just barely reached his destination, when he threw up, although there wasn’t much to come back.

_“Do you even love basketball?!“ Kagami growled, not wanting to believe, that the Phantom even dared to show his face here, after what he and the other Kiseki had done. It filled him with anger, disbelief and disgust._

_(...)_

_“Then what the hell was that?! You...“ Kagami growled, “You acted just like them! You said that the Generation was a bunch of arrogant pricks, whose only game was to crush others on the court. And you do just that! You helped them do it!”_

_(...)_

_“We’re in Teikō, Hyūga-sempai...“ he trailed off for a moment, “...and I wore Teikō’s colours first and I have not forgotten our saying. ... **Hyakusenhyakushō**. That’s Teikō’s motto — the phrase the Kiseki, myself included, learned to live by. The world belongs to the winners, Mitobe-sempai.“ Kuroko said, tone blank, yet cold. _

_(...)_

_“I’m Kuroko Tetsuya, of course. The Phantom Sixth of the Kiseki no Sedai of Teikō Chūgakkō.”_

Kagami bent forward and dry-heaved again. The bile burned his throat and his hands were shaking. Shit. Holy freaking shit. How much of a jerk had he been? To Kuroko? His partner?

_**“Shut your trap.“** _ _Aomine snarled at him, eyes alight with a sort of inhuman... strength, that he had never seen before, it was something primal, dangerous... murderous, “ **You don’t know Tetsu at all** and I think, I told you before, that your light’s dim. He’ll never get anywhere with you. Tetsu might be physically weaker, than the rest of us... but he’s stronger than me or Shin or Atsu, in many ways.“ he grunted, “Gods, I hope Sei can deal with transfer and Tetsu ends up either in Tōō or Rakuzan before I lose my cool and kill you.“ _

Kagami groaned and fell against the wall. Fuck it all. Now he understood. He understood and it made him sick. Aomine had been right — he didn’t know Kuroko at all. No one here knew the Kiseki, they only knew each other.

When he was sure, that his nausea subsided somewhat, he staggered to his feet and washed his hands and rinsed his mouth. He gripped the sink and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing to calm down.

It made sense. It made so much more sense.

Kuroko’s blankness. Akashi waving around scissors. Kuroko’s knife (he hadn’t even known, that the Phantom had one!). Aomine’s coldness and the protective/possessive behaviour, when it came to Kuroko.

Something told him, that Aomine didn’t just see the teal, as his Shadow. No, there was more. Something even stronger, than the trauma and horror, that linked those seven. But then again... they’d been so close to each other while telling of their past. And the way Aomine cradled Kuroko...

He never had a sibling, but he would have liked to think he had found a brother in Tatsuya. But still, their “brotherhood“ was just really, really solid friendship, born out of similar interests and growing up together.

Aomine and Kuroko had played together for three years at Teikō. And it was clear, from the way the Kiseki acted, that they saw one another, as family... and all of them had colourful, unique bonds. But the strongest bonds still hung between Momoi, Aomine and Kuroko. At one point, when he understood that —that there was still a bond between them, despite the tension, that hung around the court when they crossed paths...

He’d been somewhat jealous. Of Aomine’s skill. Of the understanding, he and Kuroko still had of each other, despite not playing together anymore.

 _Otōto_. Aomine had called Kuroko...

Kagami felt like a jerk. _Damn it._ From that display, the seven had never even wanted to let each other out of the vicinity, much less split up to play in different schools! And he’d been being a jerk to Aomine — jealous of his skills.

_Skills, that he’d developed to save himself and the other Miracles._

Fuck it. The _Kiseki no Sedai_ were indeed a fucked up batch. With a sigh, he left the bathroom and walked to have breakfast. It was four in the morning, but they were all wide awake and hungry and they knew there won’t be any more rest.

The Miracles took up the couch and the small glass table a bit farther away, food and papers scattered around them. He remembered Aomine saying something about legal things and paperwork. They were drowned in it, apparently and Akashi, Midorima and Momoi were directing Kise and Murasakibara around with half words, gestures and an occasional sentence, that had too much Japanse legal shit in it for Kagami to make sense.

But, the group was eating and drinking even if they were about to get drowned in paperwork. That, he supposed, was a good thing. But... he couldn’t see Aomine anywhere. Kuroko was still out cold if his state from before was any clue, but where was the Ace?

He noticed an untouched plate of food where Aomne had sat in the mornings before, but — obviously,— he wasn’t here.

When Akashi looked up, he purposefully caught the heterochromatic eyes. The power and intelligence, that lurked beneath were most disturbing, especially with the sharp undertone, he couldn’t name... but then again, the guy had survived Hell, to tell a tale of it and had _killed_ , to pull his teammates trough it. The thought made him shiver.

“Something’s the matter, Taiga?“ his voice was quiet but sharp and it seemed, for once, the other Miracles ignored him, too absorbed in their tasks. Kagami tried not to shiver, as the Rakuzan student spoke his name. There was something in the way he said it... _no_ , it would be better for his mental health not to dwell on Akashi Seijūrō and who the redhead was.

“How’s Kuroko? And where’s Aomine?“

“Daiki is with Tetsuya. We do not dare to leave him alone at the moment and from the way Daiki had been clutching him when we finished... I thought it best to leave him be. Right at this moment, he’s... acting on instinct, you could say, only focused on Tetsuya’s safety and wellbeing, any attempts to get him away, would result in bloodshed.”

“I... I see.“ and he turned back to his food.

Akashi’s revelation was equal parts calming and disturbing. Or at least, what disturbed him, was how flippantly the other redhead spoke of murder. But then again, they’d just killed a few hours ago, to save Kuroko, so maybe he shouldn't‘ be so surprised.

He ate the bare minimum he could and then he helped the others clean up the place, just to busy himself a little. How was Kuroko?

He noticed the still-untouched plate of food and an idea flashed through his mind.

_Some Seirin players eyed the new arrival and Kagami shivered in discomfort at seeing the loose stance. Yet, it still somehow radiated power and danger. Those dark blue eyes were alight with something he couldn’t read._

_And then, the game started._

_By the next break, his team were all wary of Aomine and Kagami could understand them. “Holy, the guy’s like... a beast. A lion.” Furihata murmured._

_“Panther.“ came the sharp, yet still monotone correction. Kagami looked at his partner, Kuroko’s eyes swirling with something unreadable. “If Aomine Daiki is any beast, that is a black panther. Swift and powerful. But I give you that, he does have a sort of... pack mentality... that is if he ever found people to match him. Tōō’s certainly **not** that team, for he plays solo instead.” _

Kagami snorted at the memory. No, Tōō wasn’t Aomine’s ideal team... because the Ace’s ideal team was the Kiseki. And Aomine’s detachment probably came from being different from the rest and the ones, who were like him, were far away, or on the other side of the court...

Pack mentality.

When Kuroko had said those words, he’d thought the Phantom had gone nuts. But now... perhaps Kuroko’s comparison and word choice were somehow linked to Teikō? The usually annoying guy _had_ seemed oddly gentle and considerate with Kuroko...

Kagami huffed and snatched the plate of food from the table and slipped away, amidst the activity, hurrying towards Aomine’s room. He stopped in front of the door and wondered what the Hell was he even doing here... but he wouldn’t run. He wanted to know how the Shadow was fairing.

He knocked on the door firmly and waited for a little, before entering. “Aomine?“

He closed the door gently behind him and met the burning dark blue eyes from across the room. The dark-skinned teen growled, sounding very animalistic. _“What do you want?”_

The hairs on the back of his neck stood and his senses screamed _predator_. Immediately, the image of a black panther flashed into his mind. Yeah, Aomine Daiki was a panther just fine... (And again, his mind flashed back to the scene, when then Miracles arrived, ruffled and bloody, ready to kill still, despite being bathed in blood already.)

He swallowed a bit, holding up a hand. “ _Chill_. I... I just came to... ask how he is but, if it bothers you so much... I’ll leave...”

Aomine’s eyes narrowed and Kagami could see the mistrust, the other player’s body coiled, protectively around Kuroko, but he still — _somehow_ managed to place himself so, that he could spring into action from where he was and thus, block any newcomer’s path to the teal. The realisation was calming, but the things this strategic moved implied... made Kagami uneasy and way too aware of the fact, that the Miracles trusted no one but themselves and each other.

Everyone else was a stranger or an enemy and now, that their secrets were out, they would probably, be even more dependent on one another, keeping an extra distance from their current teams.

“Come in.” the Tōō student grunted, just as Kagami was to turn on his heels.

The redhead walked in, closing the door gently, never taking his eyes off of Aomine. His senses were still screaming predator and that made him oddly careful. He placed the plate on the nightstand near Aomine’s bed and the other arched an eyebrow.

“Tetsu’s not going to wake up for a while.“

Kagami huffed, backing off, leaning against the wall farthest from the Tōō student. There had always been something about Aomine. But when on-court... it just made him want to play his best. Now that something meant danger... and the words of murders and the sight of blood was too fresh in his mind. Aomine was his rival, not his enemy, but right now, his self-preservation instincts told him to tread carefully.

“That’s for you.“ he murmured, “I get it you’re unwilling to leave him and from what Akashi said... as brief as it was, it might be for the best, that you’re here. But if something happened to you, Kuroko would throw a damn fit and I don’t want that, considering he has a knife somewhere on him, all the time.”

Aomine raised an eyebrow, scowling distrustfully, eyes narrowed. “Why do you care, all of sudden?“

Kagami frowned. “ _Chill_. Kuroko... is a friend. And it’s obvious you mean the most to him out of the batch. I may not be able to read him, as good as I’d like, but I know, that his emotions affect the way he plays. And... you wouldn’t want him injured on the court, I take?“

Aomine growled softly. “What’s your game?”

Kagami sighed. “Nothing. Goddamn it, Kuroko’s my friend too!“ he growled back, mindful of the said person sleeping in Aomine’s grip. “I get it why you’re all... _not-okay_. Maybe he won’t be able to go over to Tōō. I’m trying to _help_ , damn it. You have Momoi, but Kuroko’s alone. I’m his partner and I could help. Somewhat. Or at least keep an eye on him and warn you. Or someone. But that’s not going to work if you’re acting as I’d kill him.”

Aomine froze and studied him for a very long moment. Then he glanced down at Kuroko. “He’s like my brother. No, he _is_...”

“I figured as much.“ Kagami cut him off swiftly, “You said so in front of us, remember?“

Aomine scoffed and Kagami shook his head. “Look... I’m not... not trying to stand between you. Tatsuya — Himuro Tatsuya is like my brother. I... kinda the way you and Kuroko. Just... maybe you two are closer, somehow?“ he shrugged.

Aomine seemed thoughtful for a moment. “Yōsen’s Shooting Guard? The one Atsu’s fond of?“

Kagami brushed off the odd way of address. If the Kiseki were really like a family — and all the signs pointed to it,— then it was probably normal for them to call each other by first names and nicknames so casually. But then again... the past week’s hostility had been, according to them all, just a farce to keep Teikō away from their teams.

The reminder made Kagami’s stomach flip. He glanced at Aomine and nodded.

“Yeah, him. I don’t have siblings, but he’s like my brother. I... I won’t pretend I know what’s between you and Kuroko or the other Miracles. I won’t pretend, I understand because _I don’t_. What I know, that the whole thing is messed up. And that... you saved us, by doing what you did. So... thanks for that, I guess.“

Aomine eyed him, his eyes unreadable. “I would not have wished Teikō on anyone... only the white-coated bastards themselves. I’m _not_ happy Tetsu’s away from me. That he’s playing with someone else, but this is safer for now. And... your light may be too dim for him... but perhaps that’s better for Seirin, as a whole. Tetsu’s one of us...“ his lips pulled into a thin, bitter and sarcastic smile, “and he’s his own sort of monster, as we are. Maybe you and the General... maybe you could keep up with him. But not the rest. They’d _crumble_ before him.”

Kagami shivered. There was something... malicious in the way Aomine phrased that. He swallowed hard and glanced at the still-unconscious Phantom. “Will... he... will he be alright?“ _Will he be able to play basketball?_ , he wanted to ask, but the words came out differently.

Aomine seemed to understand anyway and nodded. “Some rest and yes. They made us into what we are. They didn’t _care_ , but once you proved your usefulness —and Tetsu was the only one, who put up with those special drugs,— they made sure you stayed alive.”

A shiver crawled up his spine. Aomine’s tone was sharp, but apathetic at the same time, his face as blank as Kuroko’s, but his eyes alight with hellfire. (It seemed, the blank face was the default for all of the _Kiseki,_ not just the Phantom.)

“What did they give him?“ he whispered, almost fearing the answer. Still, he had to know.

“Something, that enhances his capabilities. We don’t know what those shit were made of. But... don’t be surprised, if he’ll disappear on the court next time and none of you will find him.“

Kagami’s brows furrowed. “I... I thought he learned Misdirection?“

Aomine hummed. “He did. But the low presence and the rest... well, he had always been like that, since I know him. But the drugs made it, stronger. Made it easier for him to be a Phantom, whatever they were.”

“And... if that’s so, how have you kept up with him?“

Aomine snorted. “Animal instincts. Besides, we were conditioned to do so. To keep up with him, just as he was, to keep up with us, even if it never worked for an entire game.”

Kagami winced at the blunt word choice. (Was animal instinct some sort of code to a treatment or conditioning or something? _Miracles and their riddles..._ that’ll drive him mad, even before they left this fucked up place.) _How_ much had Teikō fucked them all up? Could they be any more fucked up? (The answer was presumably _no_.)

“Not that you needed it to work for an entire game.“ he muttered, “He had someone to step up and Kise or he... or whichever of you switched...“

Aomine didn’t say anything, but Kagami supposed, in this case, the other’s silence was consent. Aomine knew better than even him, that whichever of them were on the court, they could crush others just fine. They’d proved it alright, a few days ago. (That match — and the feelings that came with it,— seemed so, so distant now.)

Kagami sighed and pushed himself away from the wall. He stopped once he reached the door, glancing back at the other. “Tōō’s not that far from us, do I remember correctly?“

Aomine furrowed his brows, distrust sparking in his eyes again, but he nodded slowly. “Just ten minutes by bus. Or so.”

Kagami’s eyes lingered on Kuroko. “Something tells me... that even if... when he comes back, he’s not going to be okay and whatever they’ve done...“ he looked away, “I hate to admit, but neither I nor the rest of Seirin would be able to handle it. Would you leave contact? So we can reach you if something... Tōō’s the closest out of the other five...”

“Satsuki will deal with it.“ Aomine answered, tone sharp, dismissive. “But if you call or text me for _any other reason_ , than a Tetsu-crisis or if you give our contact to anyone else, I’m going to find you. I’ll find you and I’ll take a page out of Seijūrō’s book and I’ll kill you the slowest, bloodiest way humanly possible.”

Kagami blinked, needing a moment to realise, that Aomine was referring to the devilish redhead of Rakuzan. It was kind of odd, hearing them all use each other’s given names so casually... (But at the same time, it made sense. It showed just how close they were.)

He nodded, face equally serious. His eyes landed on the Shadow. “It’s for Kuroko. He may be your brother... but he’s _my_ _friend_. And friends take care of each other, too. And, when he wakes up, tell him... tell him I’ve never known a person so passionate about basketball. All your passion is... admirable. You still play, even after all of this and you take matches seriously. Maybe only the matches when you face each other... but still. That needs some guts and power. And I respect that, whether be it you, Kuroko or any other of the four.”

“Winning was survival. But basketball is life. We may be called monstrosities on the court, but that’s still better than disappearing without a trace.“ Aomine returned, “We’re nothing without basketball.”

Somehow, Kagami noticed grimly, his mind substituted “disappearing“ with “dying“ in Aomine’s sentence... and that chilled him to his very soul.

The Miracles were fucked up. Kuroko too. But if being around Aomine helped Kuroko, he would endure. Because Kuroko was his friend and he wanted him to be okay.

Apologising to the Shadow could wait until he was good enough to attend school again. Until then, Kagami would wait and let the Miracles take care of his partner, because even if they were a messed up batch, Kuroko was the safest, when he was with them.

Despite how the Miracles were, the thought of Kuroko being with them — being _safe_ with them,— was oddly comforting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please leave comments and tell me what you think. Thank you :3


	41. Qᴜɪᴇᴛ — ᴋɪꜱᴇ

**_13th July, Friday_ **

The teams left them alone, for the most part, to deal with the paperwork and Imayoshi only popped up to remind them, that it was time for lunch. Kise’s head hurt from all the legal things they were going through, but better deal with it now, than later. Satsucchi and Seicchi were good with these sort of things and he trusted them. If they got this done swiftly, his sisters would have one thing less to worry about — gods knew they’d worry and fuss enough, once Teikō’s nature was revealed through the media.

They sat down to eat and he realised, that two of his brothers were still missing. He looked at the others. “Where’s Daicchi and Tetsucchi? Don’t tell me he’s been cooped up in the room...” he trailed off, frowning.

Seicchi shook his head. “Very likely, you know how Daiki is...”

“What about me?“ a gruff voice drawled. Kise’s eyes snapped up, just as the two missing people walked into the room.

A sigh of relief left his lips, as he slipped from one seat to the other, so they could sit down too. Tetsucchi sandwiched himself between Dai and Sei, like most of the time, Dai having chosen the seat next to his. Kise smiled at his oldest brother and downright beamed at the sight of the youngest. “Phew, good to see you two.“

Dai grunted. “Good to be out here.“

“Sorry, Dai.“ Tetsu muttered. “You _could_ have woken me up.”

Dai scowled, rolling his eyes. “You had a fever and we know you’re like a cat, when it comes to sleeping, anyway. Besides, it wasn’t _too_ bad. You might have messed up my blood circulation a bit with how you were clinging... but that should be fine soon. I guess.”

Kise chuckled at the exchange, looking at a certain redhead. “Ne, Seicchi... when can we go? You know...”

Sei sighed and took a bite of his food. “We pulled a few strings, so the papers should be done soon enough and when those are done, we’re free to go. From what sempai had said, we have the green light from the authorities on Sunday... but that depends on our papers. Since... as long as they’re not done, we’re without guardians and that isn’t alright, considering our age.“ he deadpanned.

“How did they not consider our age _before_?“ Atsu murmured, anger seeping into his tone, “Funny how they treat us like kids _now_...”

“As much we all agree on that, Atsushi,“ Sei cut in, tone smooth and controlled, “it cannot be helped.“ his eyes landed on the others, “Daiki, Tetsuya, Satsuki...”

The three perked up, and Kise found himself tensing, too. “Yes?”

“The papers are not yet done, but from the e-mail I’ve received, the adoption request was granted. Tetsuya, they’re officially your adoptive siblings now, as Satsuki’s remaining family was found clear. They, like the rest, shall be informed of what happened later today or tomorrow. The papers should be here, by the time we leave and you’ll be granted full access to your family account at the same time.”

Tetsucchi sighed. “Good.“

Kise smiled in relief, as he heard those words. Dai, Tetsu and Tsuki looked at each other and the energetic girl, ignoring the fact, that they should be eating, tackled her adoptive brothers and neither of them resisted. Seeing them so happy made Kise smile too.

“Will I have to be transferring...?“ Tetsu asked, looking at Sei.

The redhead shook his head. “For now, it’s better if we keep as many things, as they are. Stay in Seirin. But... if you still feel the need to transfer later, you can deal with it or call me and I can help you and you can start your Second year at Tōō... but that’s still far away. Considering the numbers on your account, the travel expenses shouldn’t bother your new adoptive parents.” Seicchi looked at him and Kise sat up straighter, leaning forward, nervous about the news he might be given. “Ryōta, from what I know, your sisters were found clear as well and as per your request, your oldest sister will be appointed as your caretaker, but that is not yet official. Same goes for Atsushi.”

Kise slumped in his seat. “Thank the kami. You’re... you have everything under control, Seicchi. What about you?”

“Our situation is a bit _messier_.“ Shinicchi muttered, “Since our fathers were in the mess and are still alive... so we have no clue.“

Kise frowned. “But you...”

“We’ll say it when we’re informed, don’t worry.“ Seicchi cut him off gently. Kise hummed and nodded, turning back to his food. He was halfway through chewing, when he realised, that even before break started, he had a History essay due...

“Ne, Ryō-chin, what’s with the panicked look?“

All eyes turned to him and Kasamatsu-sempai leaned closer. “Kise?”

He swallowed hard. “Before break starts... I’ve got a history essay due...“ he whispered in panic, “And I’ve forgotten! Hell, I... I think, I should have submitted it _already_...” he flailed in panic, making Dai and Kobori, who sat on his other side, frown.

“You’ve just had a mess of a night and you’re _worried about essays?_ “ Kagami asked.

Kise shook his head. “Messy night or not, we’re still in school and...!”

“Calm _down_ , Ryōta.“ the firm words came from Seicchi and Tetsucchi, both of their eyes serious. Kise swallowed again and took a deep breath.

“That’s better.“ Tetsucchi murmured, “We’ll help you get through the material before we leave, alright? It’s not like we can leave till Sunday. Sei ad Tsuki both have their laptops here.”

“And for once, our mess of a situation might just be the excuse,“ Seicchi supplied, “and your teacher might not make such a fuss about submitting it later. World History or Japanese?“

“World history.“ he murmured.

Sei and Tetsu shared looks and sighed, shaking their heads. “You’ll never change, Ryō.“ Tetsucchi murmured, “Kami know you’ll lose your head one day if we’re not around to remind you of things.“

“Speaking about reminders.“ Shinicchi cut in, “Did you take your medications?“

Kise hummed, finishing his food. “Yep. I took them in the morning, don’t worry.”

That made the others sigh and nod and they fell silent. Kise could feel their teams’ gazes on them, but he was too used to the attention by now, to be bothered by it. Kaijō will have to get used to this anyway — now that they _knew_ , Kise wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep up his emotional mask all the time. Best for them to get used to his problems, because he knew said problems won’t just evaporate, only because Teikō had been caught in the act.

* * *

After some relaxing, Sei appeared, since apparently, Tetsucchi had fallen asleep again. Hearing that made Kise smile. The Phantom’s fever was gone, so that was good. The fact that he was resting, was also a good sign. By tomorrow, he’ll be fine again, ready to do his usual drills.

Sei looked at the five of them, sprawled on a blanket, a tangled mess of limbs. Their teams and coaches had given up trying to tell them to move and do something, be it something as trivial as packing or going to sleep. Kise didn’t feel like complying to either Kasamatsu or the coach’s requests. He knew they all the best for them, but he was lazy. For the first time since he had first set foot inside Teikō’s gym years ago, he could allow himself to be lazy.

He knew that he should be moving. The drugs will get absorbed anyway, but the slower the process was, the worse it was, not to mention all the cramps and painful joints... even walking would help, like gathering and organising his messy belongings in the room he shared with Kasamatsu and Moriyama, but no. He wasn’t in the mood to be responsible and get ready to leave, even if he should.

Luckily for him, his other siblings, spawled on the blanket with him, shared his sentiment — even Satsucchi, which was a rare thing.

“What are you all doing there?“ Seicchi asked, his tone all too sweet.

“Can’t you see?“ Shin grunted, “Nothing. We’re _doing nothing_ and... kami above, how good that feels.”

“You should be moving around. Getting ready or doing something.“ Sei pointed out.

“Packing can wait, Sei-chin~. It’s not like we have too many things here anyway.”

“You’ll get yourself cramped and Daiki, you should still be careful with your back, even if it doesn’t hurt that much anymore.” Sei pointed out.

“Neh, I’m fine.”

“We’re okay like this, Sei.“ Satsucchi murmured.

“Don’t even try, Akashi.“ Kasamatsu’s voice came from the other direction, “We’ve tried telling them to move it, but they’re not listening.”

“Tried, you say?“ Seicchi asked, his gaze sliding away. Kise guessed the redhead was looking at his sempai, although from the angle he was laying on the floor, he couldn’t see his sempai.

“That we did. Captain and coach alike.“ Shirogane-san called his tone somewhere between amusement, annoyance and exasperation. “No use.”

For a moment, there was silence and Kise heard footsteps and soon enough, their redhead brother stood by the corner of their blanket, his heterochromatic eyes narrowed dangerously. Kise gulped.

“Up. _Now_.”

They froze for a second and threw looks at each other, and then, sooner than one could say “Teikō Basketball Club“, they disentangled themselves and scrambled to stand up.

Sei was smiling, but his eyes were glinting like that and damn it... they’d _pissed him off_ . “See? Not so hard.“ his voice was low and sweet. Too sweet. “Six rounds of Suicides. _Now_.“ he gestured at the door. “Daiki you have it easier, due to your condition, so I want you to do three rounds. No need for pace change for either of you. Just jog the rounds.“

Kise opened his mouth to protest. “But...“ he cut himself off when Seicchi took a step closer. He pressed his mouth into a thin line and nodded. They all scrambled towards the door, Satsucchi giving them half-pitying, half-amused look.

“You as well, _Satsuki_.“

Kise skidded to a halt at those words and glanced back, seeing their sister gaping at Seicchi in disbelief. “But I’m not...”

“You _do_ participate in PE lessons, correct?“ Seicchi asked, tone still low and dangerously sweet. Kise made a hasty gesture for her just to accept and join, but she ignored him.

She puffed out her cheeks. “I do, but...”

“ _Go then_. Three rounds with Daiki. You should be able to keep up, it’s not more than what a PE teacher asks of you, in terms of distance. It’s just how the exercise is executed.“

Satsucchi opened her mouth, but then, to Kise’s relief shut it just as quickly and nodded in acceptance. Sei turned slowly to watch them go an feeling the air turn colder, he hurriedly grabbed his sister’s wrist and dragged her outside. Kise could feel the flabbergasted looks the others in the room were throwing towards them and Seicchi, but he ignored it.

They didn’t understand. They weren’t from Teikō, so they didn’t know _The Rules._

_**Rule 2:** _ _You never, EVER lie to (or piss off) Akashi Seijūrō. He is the Captain and he’s here to help, lying just makes things worse for us all (and he will just find out anyway and the bad situation turns WORSE)/ **Rule 2.1:** You NEVER, **EVER!!!** disobey the orders of Akashi Seijūrō, because even if said orders do not make sense at the moment, Sei just wants the best for everyone and he has NEVER been wrong (suggesting Sei is wrong, means slow and painful death, – unless your name is Kuroko Tetsuya,– so DO NOT even IMPLY Sei is wrong) _

So yep. No lazying around, even if he wanted too. And no slacking off either, because Seicchi _will know_ and Kise didn’t feel like dealing with the consequences. So, they moved to the backyard of the hotel they were at since they couldn’t go back to the tracks at Teikō — not that they’d want to. By the time they made it there, Shin and Atsu were measuring the distance for the exercise, looking thoughtful, as Dai grabbed their sweaters, (when had he grabbed those?) to use the colourful pieces of clothing, as markers, since there were no lines to indicate the distance.

Kise sighed and shared a look with his pink-haired sister. She was displeased but relived and there was some mirth dancing in her deep pink eyes, too. She just shrugged, as she took off her green hoodie and walked closer, dropping it on top of Atsu’s sweater.

“Some things never change, Ryō.“ she said, exasperation and mirth creeping into her tone at the same time.

“Like the fact, that Akashi Seijūrō’s word is absolute?“ he supplied with a half-grin.

The others snickered, as they all lined up, by the starting point. “Hey, it’s nice to be free of Teikō...“ Daicchi muttered, “...but if everything changed, I would say we weren't even living our own lives anymore.”

“Got to agree.“ Shin muttered as he readjusted his glasses, a smile on his lips, “Ready, set... go!”

As they took off at once, Kise couldn’t help, but chuckle. They were free, they were together. Slowly, things would turn out for the better, he was sure of it. They had each other and their teams. He was sure that he’ll have nightmares and sleepless nights for a while, but that was alright, because he had wonderful, caring people to turn to, for help.

As long as the seven of them were together— and the physical distance didn’t matter all that much, as long as they could keep in contact somehow,— everything would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And DONE!  
> Please leave comments and tell me what you think! Also, stay tuned for sequel, that will deal with some of the aftermath of the secrets coming to light. :3
> 
> As always, please leave comments and share your thoughts.


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